


Invicta

by Shadowpool95



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/M, Team as Family, kind of a prequel fic, maybe an AU where nobody leaves and nobody dies, team strq yo, there will be OCs for teachers and other students
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-26
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-01-23 17:13:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 30,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12512268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowpool95/pseuds/Shadowpool95
Summary: Beacon Academy has never just been a place that trains Huntsmen. To it's students, it has always been so much more.To Summer Rose, it is an escape from the hand she had been dealt growing up.To Taiyang Xiao Long, it's a place where he can find the validation and acceptance he craves.And to Qrow and Raven Branwen, it's the only place they've found where they feel safe from a family calling for their blood.To the four of them, Beacon Academy is a place they consider the home they never had, and in each other they will find the family they never knew that they needed.





	1. Somehow Suddenly

**Author's Note:**

> Alright guys, here's chapter 1 of the longest story I've ever planned. And this one I'm going to finish, i swear! I'm still not entirely sure which direction this story is going to go. Either it's going to be a prequel fic, or it will end up being an AU where nobody dies and nobody leaves. I guess we'll see. Mature just for swearing. For now.

 

“We sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once, before a word has been spoken.”

\--Fyodor Dostoyevsky, _Crime and Punishment_

 

 

Qrow knew that his sister was uncomfortable. She liked to pride herself on her ability to appear emotionless and aloof, but he’s known her for going on eighteen years now. They were twins, after all. Growing up the way they had insured that they were close, and even the subtlest of their mannerisms had been noted, remembered, and frequently taken advantage of by the other; close or not, they were still siblings.

Right now however, Qrow valued his life too much to even attempt to mess with Raven. Her left hand was wrapped around the hilt of her sword, tight enough to hold it but loose enough to appear relaxed. She had started her habit of rhythmically unsheathing the blade about an inch and silently sheathing it again almost as soon as they had boarded the airship that would take them to Beacon Academy. She had pulled her hair back into a ponytail this morning, just like she did before sparring matches and planned fights. Like she was expecting trouble.

Qrow couldn’t blame her. He hasn’t been able to relax since well before they left Anima. It was the only home he and Raven knew, but that part of their lives had been forcibly closed off to them. Ironically the kingdoms were the safest places for them now, offering protection from both the Grimm and their former ‘family’. A sneer found its way onto his face at even just the thought of the word.

When they were first run out, they had found refuge in Mistral. It was a big city and very easy to get lost in. Ideal for a couple of teens in hiding. The pair had made tentative plans to join Haven Academy, Mistral’s Huntsmen school, and make something of themselves. They were both skilled fighters, and even those born on the fringes of the world knew of the glory of the Huntsmen.

But Mistral was too close to their former home, and neither one of them could get rid of the constant urge to keep an eye fixed over their shoulder.

Deciding to keep running, they found a ship that unwittingly granted them passage across the sea to the west, to Sanus. After only a small amount of debate -compared to their usual, at least- they had agreed that Vale was their next best choice. Although not as busy as Mistral, the city of Vale was still big and bustling in its own right and they could still disappear into the crowd.

The Trials to get into Vale’s Huntsmen Academy weren’t much different than Haven’s, and for the most part Qrow and Raven passed effortlessly. Now on their way to Beacon, Qrow was ready for a break. A break from running, from being scared, from hiding.

Except he would never get the chance if his sister decided to commit homicide.

“Would you relax?” he sighed, working hard to keep his voice quiet. “I don’t think that the tribe would venture across the sea for our sorry asses, and no one on this airship seems exactly… threatening.” Qrow spared a brief, unamused glance toward their fellow soon-to-be Huntsmen in training.

Raven’s hand stilled as she fixed him with a glare. Anyone else would have been easily cowed by the ire in her eyes, made more dramatic by their bright crimson colour, but Qrow has long since grown apathetic to his twin’s scare tactics. “I don’t think anyone on this ship is actually a threat,” she growled back, “but that doesn’t mean that they won’t be idiots and try their luck at it.”

Her word choice brought a habitual scowl to Qrow’s face. “Luck,” he repeated dryly, “I doubt they’ll see it like that once they’re up against us.” He personally didn’t believe that any of their soon-to-be-peers had a reason to even give them more than a cursory once-over, but his sister had always been the more paranoid between them.

Raven smirked at the discomfort in his voice, showing that it had been her goal as soon as she had started speaking. She finally let go of the hilt of her sword and crossed her arms loosely in front of her chest, relaxing as much as she ever did.

Qrow bit back a sigh. If torturing him was preventing her from snapping, he’d take it. They were the safest here that they had ever been, and he wouldn’t mind playing like a normal eighteen year old for a while. And it wasn’t like he was a stranger to how his twin worked. He just hoped that her mouth and attitude wouldn’t get her kicked out. They had agreed long ago; they would stick together.

It was why they were now in the position they were in, hiding from those who had been like family for the majority of their lives. It was his fault, they both knew that, but Raven wouldn’t let him escape alone. He knew that deep down in some shrouded corner of her heart –playing along with the theory that she indeed had one –Raven hated him for her exile no matter what she had done to save his life. Her loyalties had always rested at the right hand of the Chief, but she had helped a traitor escape. Now both their lives were forfeit in the eyes of the Tribe and neither one of them could go back.

The silence between them held the comfort of a lifetime of companionship as Qrow and Raven watched the city of Vale pass by on the other side of the airship windows. It wasn’t the biggest city they had seen, but their interest was still drawn to the tall buildings as they flew by. This was going to be their home for the next four years, if they were lucky. His own ironic use of the word twisted his mouth once again into a scowl. He had a long way to go to find luck in his favor.

The only noise on the ship was the hum of conversation and the drone of the news station currently being broadcasted on a couple of holoscreens, both of which the twins were screening for hints of impeding threats. So it was understandable that a sudden, loud squeal and a round of raucous laughter made them whip around and reach for their weapons.

Qrow was the first to recover, raising his arm to prevent Raven from reacting. He let go of the collapsed weapon strapped to his back and straightened up out of his defensive position, ignoring his sister’s disgusted scoff.

On the other side of the airship, a small crowd had gathered around a blonde guy in cargo pants and an unnecessarily tight shirt and vest. He held his arm above his head, with a petite faunus girl sitting on his raised hand and giggling. She had obviously been the source of the squeal, one of faux fear Qrow now realized if the girl’s wagging dog tail was anything to go by. The whole show was obviously a feat of strength meant to impress everyone, and the blond seemed to be eating up the attention his successful stunt was granting him. Qrow had to admire the guy for how many girls he already had fawning over him. They hadn’t even made it to the school yet.

“What a tool,” Raven sneered. She released her own weapon and relaxed her stance to mirror her brother’s.

Qrow laughed only loud enough for her to hear. “You’re one to talk,” he goaded, stuffing his hands in his pockets to appear nonchalant. “You like showing off just as much as blondie there does.”

That earned him another glare. “I don’t ‘ _show off’_ ,” she argued with a haughty sniff. “It’s not my fault that everyone who goes up against me ends up looking like a fool.”

Qrow rolled his eyes with an amused huff, his mouth twitching up at the corners. Raven’s vanity was something that she denied the existence of. She at least had the skill to back it up, but as her brother it was his job to make fun of her. “Of course you don’t,” he mocked. Raven only had half his attention, however. The rest was spent looking around the airship, taking note of those who weren’t impressed by or paying attention to the guy showing off.

There were a handful, most of them unremarkable. A stag faunus, the only other fanus on the ship, who looked like he was trying to disappear into one of the walls. A few guys who looked disgruntled –as if they thought they could do better but hadn’t taken the opportunity to do so. He stopped when his eyes landed on the last person keeping to themselves. He had almost missed her, which was surprising considering she was wearing a pure white hooded cloak and shouldn’t have been able to blend into anything but a snowdrift.

She was sitting cross-legged on the floor of the airship, back pressed to a corner away from everyone else. The hood of her cloak was pulled up over her head, completely hiding her face from Qrow’s view. Her head was bowed and the ends of her hair were visible hanging just past the edge of the hood, a dark colour he couldn’t make out from this distance.

There was a book in her lap that at first Qrow thought held her full attention, until somebody walked past her a little too closely. Her head lifted in an almost invisibly quick movement to stare at the girl who was stepping around the crowd to get a better view. Once there was enough distance between them, the girl in the white hood bowed her head once again as she turned her attention back to her book.

She looked almost as jumpy as he and Raven were, though he was sure her reason was entirely different than theirs. But she was one of the few people on the transport to Beacon who wasn’t trying to make conversation. She was keeping to herself and taking up as little space as possible, hiding in plain sight with reasonably decent results. He couldn’t help but be curious.

Qrow froze in place when the girl in the white cloak suddenly looked up, as if she could feel his stare. She regarded him unflinchingly, her gaze steady and unreadable. He was startled by the sight of practically glowing silver eyes peering at him from the shadows cast by her hood. It had to be a trick of the light. Sure, he wasn’t extremely well traveled, but he’s never heard of someone with eyes like that.

Qrow was shoved out of his thoughts by a sharp elbow jabbed into his side.

“You’re staring,” Raven said. Her voice wasn’t accusing, but held the expectation that he would respond with an explanation.

Qrow tore his gaze away from the girl’s and removed his hands from his pockets to give his sister’s shoulder a shove. “I’m observing,” he corrected, turning back towards the window and trying to push his curiosity to the back of his mind. “We’re going to be training alongside everyone in this ship. We should start gathering what information we can about them.”

He could see in the reflection of the glass that Raven was serving him her best skeptical expression. He would be giving her the same look if their roles were reversed. He had definitely been staring, but he couldn’t help it if he was curious. It was rare for them to be around such a diversely skilled crowd of fighters, of course a few were bound to catch his attention. Especially those with glowing eyes.

He wondered how well the girl in the white cloak fought. She must be quite skilled to have warranted entrance into Beacon. She didn’t look like much, if he was being honest. Then again, his sister hadn’t looked like much either, and many would say that Raven had been one of the most dangerous members of the Tribe. Conversely, his twin had grown out of her innocuous looks by the time she was fourteen.

 _Maybe it’s all the white,_ he mused. Pure white was too innocent of a colour for what they were going to train to do, and it was too bright for combat uniforms in his opinion. The lightest colour on his own clothes was steel grey, but even then it covered only the top half of his shirt. It darkened in a gradient halfway down and was lost in the deep black that made up the rest of his outfit, sans the red of his cape.

Shadows fell across his view, effectively breaking his train of thought. The airship was nearing Beacon, and the school’s main tower was now silhouetted against the sun. A bit dramatic of a show for such an esteemed school, but maybe that was how they did things in Vale.

“-doesn’t matter who is here, we’re more skilled than all of them,” Raven concluded whatever she had been saying in a hard voice, and Qrow wondered how long she had been talking to him.

“I don’t know,” Qrow replied like he had been listening, “I think that guy could take you.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder at some random kid, not even looking at who he might be condemning to the focus of his sister’s rage.

Raven’s eyes lit up with anger. “Who?” she demanded, trying to follow his gesture with her gaze.

Qrow laughed at his twin’s reaction, surprised that she actually thought he saw someone who looked like they were on her level. He would be the first to admit how well Raven could fight, and didn’t foresee anyone here besting her in battle. She must be nervous about more than just the amount of unknown people around them.

Raven shot him a glare when she realized he was messing with her, opening her mouth and taking in a deep breath to snap back with some biting retort. Qrow was saved from having to hear it by the news broadcasts flickering out, and everyone dropping their conversations in confusion at the sudden loss of background noise. In their place, an image of a frazzled old man appeared. The hologram flickered as the man leaned forward, apparently peering into the camera.

“Is this thing recording?” the old man practically yelled. His raspy voice went along perfectly with his wild white hair and slightly hunched figure. A few of the students on the airship laughed at the spectacle. Qrow chuckled with them, but his sister didn’t seem to share in their amusement.

A murmur sounded from somewhere off screen, drawing the old man’s attention. “Don’t speak to me as if I’m daft, boy! I was fighting Grimm before you were even shitting green!” He turned back to the camera, and by proxy the prospective students, pulling some white note cards close to his face. “Ah, yes! Welcome to Beacon.” He tossed the cards over his shoulder, electing a few more laughs. “A high privilege that none of you little shits should be taking lightly.”

Qrow could already tell that he liked this man.

“I am Viktor Seolfor,” the old man continued, “the deputy headmaster of this academy. Every single one of you here right now was hand selected to attend because you show that you have the initiative and ability to become the world’s next Hunters and Huntresses. It is our job now to mold that raw potential into something deserving of those titles. The trials and training you will be put through over the next four years are not for the faint of heart. Wherever you were before this point, wherever you have done your training up until now, it was _child’s play_. So good luck. Beacon is where the _real_ fun begins.”

As the hologram of Professor Seolfor flickered out, the airship began to descend toward the school’s landing bay. Qrow raised an eyebrow and shared a curious look with his sister. At least their immediate future was going to be _exciting._

What a change of pace.

Before the airship even landed there were people roughhousing with newly-made friends, trying to be one of the first out the door as soon as it opened. Everyone was impatient to lay their eyes on Beacon up close.

Qrow and Raven stayed where they were, away from the pushing crowd. They were just as eager as everyone else. At least, Qrow knew he was. His sister had her lips pursed in a disapproving scowl.

“They’re acting like children,” she exclaimed quietly in disbelief. “How many of them are actually taking this seriously?”

Qrow looked towards the ceiling of the ship and huffed out a breath, blowing his bangs briefly off of his forehead. “How many of them have had to take a thing seriously in their lives?” he countered dryly instead of answering her. He looked back at Raven with a shake of his head. “We know why _we’re_ here. Why are you even worrying about them?”

Raven’s only response was a deeper scowl.

The airship pulled up to the front of the school, gracefully stopping next to the dock with almost no jarring. A mechanical whirring echoed through the ship as the ramps were extended before the doors slid open, releasing them to the grounds of Beacon.

Qrow mockingly bowed to Raven, exaggerating the movement with a sweep of his hand toward the door. “After you, your majesty.”

Raven rolled her eye and mumbled something that he couldn’t quite hear as she walked past him.

Chuckling to himself, Qrow straightened up and followed her off the ship, hands shoved into his pockets once more.

The first thing he noticed when he stepped onto the dock was the clear, crisp air. The breeze coming from over the surrounding forests brought with it the scent of greenery and summer. Qrow couldn’t wait to explore the grounds.

The main hall of Beacon Academy stood before them on the far side of a well-maintained courtyard. The stonework was impressive, and from this angle Qrow couldn’t tell exactly how big the campus was but it’s massive size was intimidating. The Tower was easily the tallest point of the entire structure, it’s imposing presence overlooking not only the school but also the city below.

The group of new students stuck out like a sore thumb, shuffling off the dock and towards the large courtyard. The airship that had dropped them off left as soon as everyone had disembarked, the whir of the engines causing a few of them to exchange nervous glances when they realized that there was no turning back now. They haven’t received much direction about where to go once they got here, and none of the current students walking around campus seemed to want to offer them anything other than amused stares as they passed the group by.

Qrow scoffed quietly and followed Raven as she shouldered her way past a few people. Everyone was acting like a lost puppy. Did they expect someone to come out and hold their hand? They were going to be the world’s protectors in four short years; if they couldn’t handle figuring out how to navigate an unknown location, they weren’t going to get very far.

From somewhere behind them, conversation picked up as the initial shock wore off and confidence began to grow.

“I can’t wait until initiation,” some guy said excitedly. “My brother told me that it’s like the trials, but ten times as hard.”

“Well I heard that everything is easy until year three,” a girl chimed in. “That’s when they start sending you on real missions!”

“Do you think they’ll let us fight actual Grimm our first semester?”

“How do you think the Headmaster will pick teams?”

“When are we going to get to eat?”

Qrow and Raven listened to the chatter, doing their best to sift through the comments and questions and figure out which ones held some truth to them. The concept of teams was interesting. Qrow hadn’t thought of the possibility, and a glance at the contemplative look on his sister’s face said that she hadn’t either.

Apprehension at the idea lapped at the back of Qrow’s mind, but he did his best to hastily push it away. Negative emotions always made his semblance more out of control than it already was.  He didn’t need-

The thought wasn’t even formed when he heard the scuffing thud that meant someone had tripped and fell on the stone brick walkway behind them.

“Ow!”

Qrow turned his head back to see a girl pushing herself up off the ground. A few people were laughing at her as they passed, but didn’t offer her any assistance. He felt bad that her misfortune was his fault, but there was nothing he could have done to prevent something like this from happening eventually. Raven gripped his arm to pull him forward and his attention away from the small scene, but not before Qrow took note of the short white-cloaked figure reaching down to help the fallen girl to her feet.

 

\---------------------

 

“Are you okay?”

Summer offered her hand to the girl on the ground, who took it with a rueful smile. Other than a light flush to her cheeks she looked unaffected by her impact with the stone walkway. Her aura had absorbed any of the minor damage her fall would have caused, leaving behind only ruffled brown hair and embarrassment. Summer pulled her to her feet.

“I’m fine, thanks,” the girl said, brushing dirt off her pants. Summer had to raise her head to look up at her freckle-smattered face. She was almost a whole head taller, but at just over five feet Summer was used to being the shortest no matter where she went. Already feeling a habitual flare of indignation light in her chest, Summer was completely thrown off by the lack of contempt she saw in the taller girl’s expression. Warm orange-amber eyes practically glowed with nothing but friendliness.

“I’m Tabitha,” she introduced herself, “or Tabby, if you’d like.”

Tabitha held her hand out and after a brief pause borne of surprise, Summer took it once again and gave it a gentle but solid shake. “Summer,” she responded quietly, lowering her gaze. She was unsure if her small smile was completely hidden by her hood or not, but the way that the other girl’s grin brightened even further said that she saw it.

They dropped hands, and Tabitha motioned toward the entrance of the main hall. Some of their fellow soon-to-be students were just now reaching the large doors, and the two moved to follow. “I’ll have to keep an eye on the ground from now on,” Tabby said in a clearly joking tone, “Grimm, I can handle. But apparently stone brick is too much for me.”

Summer offered a soft laugh, but quickly let it fade out in favor of a grimace in the general direction of the others. “It was rude of them to not offer you any help,” she said quietly.

Tabitha brushed it off like it wasn’t a big deal. “Eh, it’s not like we all know each other enough to care. I’m grateful for you stopping to help though. I’s nice to know that there are a few friendly folk here with all the meat-headed rabble.”

Summer reflected on how Tabitha hadn’t patronized her for her height or stature and silently agreed. She was used to so many people in her life giving her nothing but their opinions on whether she should be fighting or what else she should be doing with her life. She had feared that at Beacon the remarks would only get worse, but so far her fears were unfounded. She was good in a fight. Brushing her hand over the hilt of her weapon, she reaffirmed her promise to herself that she would prove it. To whoever thought it was smart to try to control her.

“I’m going to beat all their asses in sparring anyway,” Tabitha continued in an eager tone. “We’ll see who gets the last laugh.”

 _That’s why we’re all here, isn’t it?_ Summer mused as she followed the taller girl through the large wooden doors and into the main hall with the rest of the crowd. They were here to fight. To get better. To make a name for themselves so they could honor the title they would earn through training and discipline.

A look around the room helped to put her at ease and lift some of the guilt that had settled in her mind ever since she was invited to attend Beacon. Because not every single one of these people here could possibly be drawn by the honor and good that being a Hunter or Huntress entailed.

Of course there was always the good that they would be doing, and Summer knew that that had been one of the driving factors in her choice to accept the invitation that had been extended to her. She had always wanted to do something with her life that would benefit as many people as possible, but through her silent observance of the crowd gathered in the main hall of one of the most prestigious Huntsmen academies, she knew that different ideals had brought them all here.

Sure, there was honor. And Glory. And Fame. Wealth. Challenge. Revenge. Validation.

Escape.

Her examination of the people in the room halted when her eyes landed on the guy who had been staring at her on the airship. She wondered what his reason was for coming here. Dressed in dark colours, all black except for the gray on his shirt and the red cape hanging off his shoulders, he looked far too used to staying out of sight. The girl that was with him had more red in her armored outfit and had forgone a cape, but she exuded the same air of clandestine existence as her companion. Summer thought that they could be siblings with how similar they appeared when she saw them on the airship, most likely twins seeing as they were starting Beacon the same year. But at the moment they had their backs turned to her and aside from their hair -jet black, thick, and feathery looking- she couldn’t discern any other similar traits to support the theory.

The memory of a pair of intense red eyes trained solely on her made a shiver trail down Summer’s spine, and she wondered if they shared that lurid trait between them as well. Although, she was the last one who should be judging someone by the color of their eyes.

“I’m pretty sure that’s the headmaster.”

Tabitha’s voice drew Summer’s thoughts away from the maybe-twins and towards the stage that was at the front of the room. A hush fell over the crowd as two figures walked across the stage, stopping at the microphone that stood in the center. One was stooped and scraggly, and Summer immediately recognized Professor Seolfor from the recording they had seen earlier. He had the same wispy white hair and scatter-brained look on his face that he did in the hologram. She wondered what class he taught, and if she would have him as an instructor this year. He seemed like he would be a good teacher, in that eccentric, hidden wisdom kind of way.

The person standing next to him also had white hair, though he was considerably younger and wore a slightly less amused expression. Summer recognized him from their meeting a few months ago. Professor Ozpin was in fact the Headmaster of Beacon, and barely looked like he was any older than his students. Although logic told her that he must be, in order to be the headmaster of a school like this. It took experience and knowledge that she couldn’t fathom being able to produce at seventeen. Summer has only met him once, and she could easily tell that the man was used to bearing a heavy weight of responsibility far beyond his years.

Professor Ozpin stepped forward, his voice ringing through the hall. Any last shreds of conversation stopped as soon as he started talking. He didn’t talk loudly, but each word dropped from his mouth with a practiced, quiet authority that demanded respect.

“Congratulations.” The single word was spoken with dry amusement. “All of you gathered in this hall have passed your first trial, and proved yourselves worthy of the training you will receive during your four years here at Beacon.”

Summer felt a pang of guilt at the mention of trials, immediately followed by a spark or ire. She was never made to go through the Entrance Trials. Ozpin hadn’t told her a lot during their brief meeting, but never the less extended to her a personal invitation to attend his school. Her entrance was automatic, no Trials necessary. Summer knew that she would have passed any test they put in front of her with flying colours regardless, but the fact that she wasn’t even given the chance kind of pissed her off. And she didn’t even know the reason behind her exemption.

“The last thing you should do however, is relax your guard now.” The Headmaster gave a brief pause, his gaze stern as he bounced it from student to student. “There are many more trials to come.”

A few heads perked up at the promise of future challenges. Summer couldn’t hide a small smile in her own excitement. It took a special breed to become a warrior, and an even rarer one to pursue becoming a true Huntsmen. She was ready to prove that she had the mindset and skills.

“The Huntsmen on my staff -your instructors- will not go easy on you. Your raw skill has brought you this far, now it is up to us to guide you further along your path and allow you hone your abilities.” Another pause, Professor Ozpin’s steely gaze continued to drift over his enthralled audience. “Do not waste your potential thinking that you will have it easy; guidance is all that we offer. Proving that every young mind here, every weapon and gift present, is worthy of approbation and respect is up to each individual. When you leave this hall in four years’ time, you will know without a doubt that you have earned the right to be called a Huntsmen.”

He ended his speech with a note of finality. The last syllable faded into absolute silence. The Headmaster walked away from the microphone after a weighty pause. Nobody made a sound as he dismounted the stage and left the hall, his words echoing in their ears.

Summer fiddled with the hilt of her weapon, excitement coursing through her veins. She couldn’t believe that she was here. The days when becoming a Huntress was just a far-off dream were almost dream-like themselves in this moment as she stood in the middle of Beacon’s main hall. Some of the world’s best Hunters and Huntresses were going to be her instructors, and if the rumors she had heard were true, any of the individuals standing around her could be her teammates.

A glance at a few people closest to her had Summer biting her lip. She wondered what kind of skills they possessed. If she would work well with them or if her next four years were going to be a new kind of hell that she would have to learn to navigate. Would wishing for a team she could get along with jinx her?

With a deep breath, Summer closed her eyes and wished for it anyways. _I can handle it_ , she told herself. _Whatever is thrown my way, I can handle it._ She opened her eyes again just as Professor Seolfor stepped up to the microphone.

“Sleeping mats and blankets are stacked up in the supply room to the left of the stage,” he told them in his screechy voice. “Everyone is to grab one, find a spot on the floor, and go the fuck to sleep. Initiation starts tomorrow, you’ll need all the rest you can get!”

The old Hunter laughed, and Summer grew both concerned and curious about what exactly lay before them.

“Boys to one side of the hall,” Seolfor said with a gesture to his right, then his left, “girls to the other. An archaic rule I know,” he added scathingly, “but this is the last night you will ever be treated like children. So savor it.”

With that the old man left the stage, following the same path that the headmaster had taken out of the hall. Summer watched him go before following the crowd that was slowly moving toward the supply room. She looked around as she walked, trying to find Tabby amongst the throng of people, but the girl had already disappeared. Summer felt a pang of disappointment, but tried to shake it off. A familiar face would have been nice, but it’s not like the other girl was obligated to stay with her.

Once the slow-moving line had brought Summer to the supply closet and she grabbed her sleeping mat for the night, she turned toward the right side of the room and searched for an empty spot. She was one of the last ones to get to the supply closet though. There weren’t many open spots left.

With a sigh of relief that contrasted oddly with the disquiet sparking in her chest, Summer spied an empty space against the far wall right next to the female black-haired twin she had seen earlier. As she wove her way through the mess of sleeping mats already scattered throughout the hall and grew closer, Summer’s earlier question was answered; both twins did in fact have bright red eyes.

The stare that was trained on Summer as she approached was unnerving and every kind of unfriendly that she had ever known. But Summer has had plenty of experience with intimidation and spiteful stares, so she schooled her own expression into a neutral mask and pushed her apprehension as far down as it would go.

“Do you mind if I sleep here?” Summer asked in a steady voice. “Everywhere else is full.” The way the other girl narrowed her eyes told Summer that she knew that her question wasn’t really a question at all. When a few seconds ticked by without any further response, Summer began unrolling her sleeping mat and spreading out her blanket.

Her silent companion stared at her for a while longer, but eventually shifted her attention back to their surroundings. Summer released a silent breath as soon as she felt the weight of the hard gaze leave. She kicked her boots off but otherwise left her combat outfit on. Many of the people around her had changed into comfortable looking pajamas that they had thought to bring with them, but even if Summer had packed a set in her sparse overnight bag she didn’t think that she would have changed. She didn’t feel comfortable enough with so many unknown people surrounding her.

A quick side-eyed glance at the black-haired girl next to her told her that she must feel the same. She was still in her combat clothes too, her weapon and its sheath lying next to her well within easy reach. Summer didn’t think either one of them would get much sleep that night, but she unstrapped her own weapon from around her waist and set it on the floor next to her sleeping mat with the upmost care. ThornBlossom was her most prized possession and she would never let anything happen to it.

Summer lay down on her sleeping mat and pulled the scratchy blanket up to her chest, ignoring how they both smelled like they hadn’t been used, or washed, in a year. She stared up at the ceiling for a while, trying to imagine what initiation was going to be like. She hoped that it would include at least some fighting. She was eager to prove -not only to everyone here but to herself as well- that she was just as capable as anyone was when it came to combat. More capable, in some cases.

She was a fighter, and she was going to be a Huntress.


	2. To Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I waited until I had time to watch the newest episode of RWBY before I posted this. I'm not going to say anything spoilery, but canon did throw me for a loop this week. It put a bit of a hiccup in my plans for some finer details in this story, but since I have decided to go the AU route with this story I'm not really going to change from my original plan much. Canon will be canon and Invicta will be Invicta.

“There will always be a reason why you meet people. Either you need them to change your life or you’re the one that will change theirs.”

― Madeline Sheehan

  


“Get up!”

Taiyang let out an over dramatic ‘ _oomph_ ’ as something soft collided with his face. Blinking open his eyes, he groggily searched his surroundings for his attacker. He was confused at first. He was definitely not in his bedroom. Everything was too open and too bright.

There were way too many people around for this to even be remotely like his home.

Awareness crept up on Taiyang at a sluggish pace as he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, but it was with an abrupt start that the memories from the day before crashed into the forefront of his mind. Beacon. He was at Beacon. He was going to train to be a Huntsmen. The thing he had looked forward to his entire life was finally here.

“Dude, they want us outside in thirty minutes!”

Taiyang looked up and recognized one of the guys he had met on the airship the day before. He couldn’t remember his name at first - Stark? Sterling? - but he nodded to him and smiled like they had been friends for years instead of hours. “Thanks, man,” he said, scrambling to his feet.

The other guy nodded. “I think some of us are more worn out than we realized,” he joked, nodding to a few more people who were also half-awake and just now getting up.

Taiyang ran a hand through his hair, tousling the blonde strands so they looked more purposely ruffled and less like he had climbed out of bed late. “I think some of us are going to have to get used to the schedule they’ll put us on here,” he added sheepishly. By ‘some people’ he had fully meant himself. He pulled his scroll out and glanced at the time. 6:32. Hours before he would usually get up.

The other guy, Taiyang was almost certain at this point that his name was Sterling, nodded and flashed and eager grin. “It’ll be a big adjustment for all of us. But just think,” he added while he was stepping away, “today we get to _fight_.”

It was obvious by his tone that Sterling was excited, and Taiyang shared his enthusiasm, but as soon as his new friend left and he was once again alone his mood grew dampened. Taiyang looked around the hall at all the people mulling about as they got ready for initiation. He took a deep breath and made an attempt to throw a smile back on his face, reminding himself of one of the main reasons that he came here. Beacon was far enough away from home that not a single person in this crowd knew him. He was going to make friends with as many  of them as he could, and try to get along with those that he couldn't. He would make his next four years here fun, or die trying.

Determined, Taiyang quickly grabbed his sleeping mat and blanket and tied them together as neatly as he could. He snatched up his overnight bag before he walked across the hall to toss his bedroll on the pile in the closet with the rest of them.

He had to weave his way around a lot of his soon-to-be classmates, but Taiyang didn’t mind the bustle all around him. It was a welcome change from his normal life. He took an effort to say hi to as many people as he could. Most of them were friendly about it, though a few of them gave him some type of odd look, and a few were downright rude with their response, but Taiyang didn’t think that anything could truly kill his mood.

Changing and freshening up took minimal time, even though the bathroom was packed full. He managed to make his way out of the main doors into the courtyard with seconds to spare. He grinned and waved at the group he had met on the airship the day prior, joining them at the back of the crowd.

Dove, a girl with platinum blonde hair and a combat outfit colored pale pink and gray, was the first to notice him. “Hard to actually show anyone up during initiation if you can’t drag your ass out of bed.” Her reminder of his boasting yesterday was accompanied with a solid punch to the shoulder.

“Hey, it’s not my fault that they want us up at this ungodly hour,” he shot back humorously, rubbing at the spot she had hit. “I said that my name meant ‘Sun Dragon’, not ‘Before-the-Sun Dragon’.”

Everyone laughed, and Taiyang basked in the attention.

“I don’t know about you,” said a bulky guy with a large sword strapped to his back, “but the idea of getting to actually _do_ something today got me out of bed pretty quick.”

Excited murmurs swept around the group at the idea. Eyes lit up and sidebar conversations began. Hands eagerly gripped weapon hilts in anticipation at the mere idea of an impending fight.

Taiyang felt his own fingers twitch at the prospect, the muscles in his forearms flexing against the familiar constriction of the passive bracer form of his gauntlets. He was overjoyed that Beacon was full of people just as eager to jump into a fight as he was. Perhaps that was the foundation of character of anyone who dreamed of becoming a Huntsmen. The occupational hazards that the job entailed definitely drew a certain kind of crowd.

Taiyang couldn’t wait to begin training.

A hush feel over the students gathered in the courtyard as the Headmaster and Deputy Headmaster approached, immediately gaining everyone’s attention. Taiyang wasn't close enough to get a good view of them, but the amusement was clear in Professor Ozpin’s voice as he addressed them from behind his coffee mug.

“Well you all look eager to begin.”

The silence that followed was buzzing with energy. Agitated shuffling was apparent everywhere, but Professors Ozpin and Seolfor let the silence stretch on for a little longer before the Headmaster abruptly turned around and began walking toward a path that looked like it led to the Emerald Forest. “Follow me,” Ozpin said clearly without glancing back at them.

He had no doubt in his mind that they would be right on his heels.

Taiyang lept forward, much like most everyone else did. He laughed as elbows and punches and kicks were thrown, all in good humor as everyone attempted to get to the front of the crowd. Quite a few stayed out of the rough housing and stuck to the edges of the group, and Taiyang assumed that they were either too serious or too nervous to loosen up and have fun. Which wasn’t his problem. He currently had a willowy green-haired guy in a mock choke hold, only managing to hold on because he was heavier. An elbow to his ribs quickly solved the guy’s problems as it forced Tiyang to let him go.

Taiyang managed to push his way to the front of the group just as the path they were on changed from stone brick to dirt and began winding it’s way up a hill. The play fights died out as the ground grew steeper, the fear of falling and sliding down the slope --and embarrassing yourself in front of every single one of your new classmates --becoming a distinct possibility.

Throughout the walk so far, Ozpin and Seolfor were looking at a tablet that the Deputy Headmaster was holding in front of them. Taiyang wasn't close enough to catch a glimpse of what was on it or what they were saying. Theories about what their initiation was actually going to be were once again racing through his head.

It was a short while before they finally crested the hill. Everybody pushed forward to catch a glimpse of the breathtaking view of the dense forest canopy below. Taiyang, still at the front, hastily dug his feet into the ground to prevent himself from being jostled forward. Less than twenty feet in front of them the hill that they had spent the past half hour climbing gave way abruptly to a sheer cliff.

Professor Ozpin stepped forward until he was at the edge of the cliff before turning his back on it and facing the mass of curious eyes trained on him. The gaze he gave them in return was relaxed and patient.

The Deputy Headmaster had stayed closer to the students, and was now prodding at them to get them to move. “Come on, come on. Prove that you’re not as dense as you all look. Pick a stone plate and stand on it. Come on.”

Taiyang looked at the ground and realized that there were square slabs of ornate stone almost hidden by the lush grass that surrounded them. There looked like there was enough for each of them to stand on one, all arranged in a single line about ten feet from the edge of the cliff. They all began shuffling forward to claim one, and Professor Seolfor clapped his hands together.

“That’s it,” he said condescendingly, “make sure both feet are planted fully on the plate. We don't want a repeat of what happened last year.”

Curiosity sparked in Taiyang’s mind as he took the plate second in the row from the left. The plates seemed embedded in the ground and gave him no clues as to what they were for. A look down the line told him that nobody else had a clue either, if the expressions on their faces were anything to go by.

As soon as everyone was on their own stone plate, Professor Seolfor took his place next to Ozpin, fiddling with the tablet still in his hands. “Confounded technology,” the old man muttered, earning a few laughs from the line of students. Even the Headmaster let out a quiet chuckle.

“Before you lies the stage for your next trial,” Ozpin began, drawing everyone’s attention.”The first true evaluation of the limits of the skills you have accumulated so far in your training. The Emerald Forest sits between you and your goal today.”

The Headmaster took a pause, which Professor Seolfor immediately filled. “It’s worse than any of you can imagine!” the old man crooned with a wide grin on his face. Taiyang couldn't decide if he was just saying that for the theatrics or if he was serious, but a roaring screech echoed in the distance as if confirming his words. “Don’t think that we haven't heard the gossip and stories you all have been spreading! ‘My brother said this, my cousin once fought a Beringle with her bare hands’.” Both of those claims were spoken in a mocking, high pitched voice that had everyone snickering. “Gladiator-style fights and treasure hunts to the pits of hell,” Seolfor continued, “bah. There is only three things that you need to know.”

Taiyang leaned over to the guy on his left. “You think he practices this speech in front of a mirror?” he whispered. The guy laughed, earning the two of them Ozpin’s quiet attention, but it was enough to shut them up. Taiyang returned his gaze to Seolfor as he kept talking.

“One,” he said, holding up a knobby finger, “the forest below you is infested with Grimm. I wouldn't be surprised if half of you don't make it out alive. Two,” a second finger went up, “Your teams will be decided today. I hope that none of you have a problem with playing well with others. And three,” a third finger went up and Professor Seolfor’s grin turned impish as he waved the tablet towards them, “we will have eyes on all of you at all times. So if you do anything embarrassing, we will know and we will probably exchange stories in the teacher’s lounge over bad coffee.” The last two words were directed at Professor Ozpin.

The Headmaster smirked behind his coffee mug, but didn't deny the claim. “The first person you make eye contact with after you touch down will be your partner for the next four years,” he elaborated instead, “and teams of four will be decided after that. Once you have found your partner, the pair of you will head north, taking out anything that blocks your path.” He ran his gaze across his captive audience. “And there will be an ample amount of obstacles that will attempt do so. To the north is an abandoned temple. There you will find several relics. Your task as a pair is to claim one, then return here. Your grade for this evaluation depends on many factors, but you only need to concern yourselves with getting through the forest with minimal damage to yourself, your partner, and your relic. Are there any questions?”

Taiyang looked down the line of students. They all had various emotions running across their faces, ranging from curiosity to determination to defiance. A few looked a little apprehensive, but nobody uttered a peep.

“Excellent,” Ozpin said when it was clear that silence was all he was going to get in response. “Take your positions.” The Headmaster paused briefly, a look of amusement crossing his face before he added, “your instructors will be watching.” Everyone shuffled into loose battle stances. “But no one will offer you any help. You shouldn't worry yourselves though. We all have…” Ozpin paused again, like he was searching for the right word to use. “ _Sky high_ expectations for every single one of you.”

It wasn't long after that when the first stone plate in the row, directly to Taiyang’s left, catapulted forward and sent the person standing on it soaring over the treetops below. A grin was immediately painted on Taiyang’s face in anticipation of what would come next. Everybody else past him in the line quickly settled into a more serious stance as comprehension dawned on them.

Without hesitation, Taiyang slammed his fists together. With a couple of metallic clicks his bracers extended down the rest of his hands until they were full, gold scaled gauntlets. The brawler shifted his weight back, crouching into a solid fighting position seconds before the plate under his feet flung him into the air without warning.

The wind whipping at his face was exhilarating. He had explored the forests around his childhood home countless times. Enough that he practically had a map of them burned into his brain. But the Emerald Forest was something else entirely. He knew that Beacon was a new beginning for him, with new adventures and new experiences just begging to be undertaken. And a bird’s eye view like this was something Taiyang had never experienced in his life.

With an excited shout borne of pure euphoria, Taiyang summoned his semblance. He shot a burst of fire from each of his hands down toward the treetops that were growing steadily closer. A few leaves were singed and blackened from the flames as he was propelled upwards, but he wasn't too concerned. His landing strategy was fool-proof. The forest was too lush and green to immediately catch fire, and his fire blasts provided just enough upward lift to keep him from crashing down immediately.

Plus he knew that, to anyone watching, it probably looked pretty fucking cool.

Just as he was growing confident with his plan, a particularly long burst of flame sent Taiyang shooting higher than he intended, knocking his balance off. He attempted to recover with a series of flips that would have absolutely looked amazing if he had succeeded. Instead, his flips turned into uncontrolled flailing that catapulted him directly into the trees. A few branches slowed him down as they snapped beneath him on impact. His aura prevented him from receiving any lasting damage, but each blow and snapped branch still hurt like a bitch.

It was the ground broke his fall. Taiyang skidded to a halt through the dirt and grass, tumbling a bit to land upside down against a tree trunk with his legs hanging in the air.

“Damnit,” he muttered when the world stopped spinning, huffing out a harsh breath to dislodge some blades of grass that had come to rest on his face.

 

\----------

 

Summer had put two and two together before Ozpin had even finished talking. She tilted her head down, further hiding her excited smirk beneath her hood. She pushed all thoughts of teams and partners to the back of her mind for the moment. There would be time to worry about that when she reached the ground.

Lowering her stance so she had more balance, Summer made sure to keep her knees bent and ready to spring back. The first student in the line had been launched, propelled into the air by the springboard-like plates Professor Seolfor had arranged them all onto. Only four more until her turn.

The familiar tingling anticipation started firing off in her stomach. Below the cliff she stood on, nothing mattered. Not the Headmaster’s eyes curiously watching her. Not the insecurities she held in her head. Not even really the other students, beyond which one she would get as a partner. Below her there was Grimm, a chance to fight and let her weapon sing, a chance to prove herself to herself and anyone who cared to watch.

The launchpad directly to her left flung its student towards the Emerald Forest.

Summer smiled, pushing off of her plate as it sprung up so that she was launched higher into the air than any of the others. At the peak of her ascent, right before she began plummeting toward the forest below, Summer spun gracefully in the air before activating her semblance and propelling herself forward into a blur of white rose petals.

She shot forward like a dart, the world passing by her slowly but the things in it whipping past as fast as lightning. Her cloak was pulled at by the wind, like fingers gripping as she passed in an attempt to pull her back and make her obey the laws of physics. But Summer refused to obey. Breakneck speed like this always filled her with the sense of true freedom. Faster than anything, her weapon a familiar weight at her hip, Summer felt unstoppable. Unreachable.

The blur of petals darted toward the ground in a jagged, zig-zag type pattern, and dissipated as it slowed and approached the ground. Summer landed roughly, turning her forward motion into a combat roll and drawing her sword at the same time. She stopped her roll in a crouching position, weapon level as she assessed her surroundings.

The sunlight struggled to reach the ground underneath the forest canopy, casting shadows into every corner. The perfect hiding space for Grimm; Summer could feel them all around her. She straightened her stance so she was standing, sword drawn eagerly as she walked deeper into the undergrowth.

 

\----------

 

“I can’t believe how stupid you are,” Raven spat quietly at her brother. “Do you possess even a little bit of self preservation?”

All Qrow did was shrug and flash his twin his _infuriating_ smirk. She knew that he only did it to get on her nerves. It’s what they did. She would throw insults and he would toss back some blasé response.

It pissed her the fuck off.

As soon as the Headmaster said that he had “sky-high expectations” for all of them, it clicked in her head exactly what they were doing on top of this cliff. A glance at her brother said that he had too. Qrow’s eyes were practically shining. Raven knew exactly what he planned on doing, and was trying to dissuade him. She knew it was pointless.

And he called _her_ the show-off.

“Qrow, I swear-” She broke off into a glare as the sound of triggered plates grew closer behind her.

Qrow scoffed. “What are you so worried about?” he asked, like they didn’t have an entire _Tribe_ of bandits baying for their blood.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Raven shot back sarcastically, “maybe the fact that our _family_ wants to _hunt us down_ and _kill_ us?”

Qrow pulled a hand out of his pocket and waved at her comically. The spring plate behind her had already flung it’s student, and Raven braced herself just in time as, with a mechanical clank, her plate threw her into the air.

Through the air whooshing past her ears, Raven heard her brother shout, “You worry too much!” after her.

Raven let out an infuriated snarl. She reached to her weapon sheath and clicked on a hidden mechanism at the top just below where the guard of her sword sat flush against it. The inner workings of the sheath whirred as the blade slots spun, stopping so it could attach her yellow firedust blade to the hilt.

Raven drew her sword before aiming for the largest tree she could reach. She ignored the wind as it carded through her hair, most likely tangling it up in the process. She much prefered soaring through the air in her other form, but it was a signature of their Tribe. If anyone recognized their ability for what it was, they were beyond screwed.

She knew that Qrow, of course, was going to shift to get through this part of initiation. He was reckless and always relying on her to save his neck. _She_ wasn't going to be the reason they were tracked down.

Raven thrust her sword in front of her just as she was about to collide into the trunk of the tree she had been aiming for. With a grunt she held onto her weapon’s hilt as the firedust blade burned its way into the tree, slowing both her forward and downward momentum. Her boots skidded down the tree as she slid, ripping off bark as she went. It rained down noisily to the ground below.

She stopped about halfway down the tree, leaving a seared-black cut down the center of it. The scent of burned wood and the sound of sizzling tree sap made her scowl in disgust. If either of those got stuck to her clothes or weapon they would be almost impossible to get out. She yanked her blade free with a small amount of struggle and dropped to the leaf-littered forest floor. The way the damp dirt and moss gave way beneath her feet made her miss the dry, hard-packed dirt she grew up on.

Raven immediately pushed such sentimental thoughts away with a shake of her head. They had no place in the present besides as a distraction.

It took almost no time for her eyes to adjust to the gloom. She had to squint against the heavily dappled sunlight as she looked through the branches above her head for her brother. There was no way that she would willingly accept being paired with anyone whose abilities would drag her down. She knew how to fight with her brother. She knew his weaknesses and how to compensate, just as he knew hers.

Besides. Who knew what kind of trouble he would get into on his own.

 

\----------

 

Qrow used a hand to shade his eyes from the sunlight as he watched Raven fall towards the forest canopy in the distance. He let out a short whistle. “She is not going to be happy when I find her,” he said to no one in particular. With a derisive chuckle at the thought, he dropped into a more balanced position in anticipation of his plate launching him into the air.

It went off, and Qrow grinned. This high up in the air, his worries didn’t matter. Nothing did. He loved the roar of the wind, drowning out any other noise. The moment of pure weightlessness as he reached the peak, right before the pure ecstasy jolted through his body as he plummeted towards the ground.

Qrow waited until the very last minute to change forms. Until he was past the dense layer of leaves and tree branches, out of sight of everyone. Contrary to what his sister thought, he wasn't an idiot. He knew better than letting everyone see him shift. Any one of these people could have the Tribe’s ear. They had contacts on every continent. It wasn't worth an uncalculated risk.

Qrow knew that nobody would make a connection between the man dropping into the forest and the crow diving from the branches. He pulled up last minute, wings snapping out and straining pleasantly against the speed in which he had been falling. The feathers covering the bird’s chest briefly brushed against soft grass before he rose and leveled out a decent distance from both the ground below and the branches above.

Qrow flew through the forest with little effort, flapping his wings occasionally to keep himself in the air. It was warm in the trees. Right for the time of year, odd for the amount of Grimm he could see lurking in the bushes. But that wasn't his concern right now. Grimm tended to leave him alone when he was in this form. They rarely ever went after animals. Right now his main focus was hunting down his sister and keeping out of sight of anyone else.  
With a couple hard flaps, Qrow began weaving through the trees, letting out an occasional caw. It wasn't really that he didn't think he could be partners with anyone else; he got along great with- well, everyone. Everyone with a tough skin, that was. He knew he could be a bit... insensitive at times.  
He just thought that being partnered with his twin would make life easier for the both of them. He already knew they fought well together, so there would be no real need to learn new fighting styles. And Raven would easily make practice dummies out of most of the idiots who had just been flung off the cliff. So he would really be doing everyone else a favor.  
Of course, he shouldn’t have even tried making any kind of plan. He’s never been lucky enough to have his plans go through.  
A flash of white caused him to pause, sloppily hovering for a second before landing on a branch out of curiosity. Below him was the girl he had noticed on the airship, the one his sister had told him hadn't been completely unbearable company the night before. She was still covered by her white cloak, and though it should have made her stick out like a sore thumb among the dark greens and browns of the Emerald Forest, her footsteps were light and completely silent and she was all but hidden. Qrow was sure that he would have flown right past her if she hadn’t been moving. He watched her practically glide through the underbrush for a moment before extending his wings to take off. She hadn’t seen him yet, and he didn't want to stick around. Qrow wasn't sure that he wanted to take his chances if an unknown factor like this girl as his partner.  
The snap of a twig made Qrow freeze mid-wingstroke, feet still firmly planted on his branch. The figure below him froze as well, uttering a soft curse and slowly taking a step back. So much for absolute stealth.  
Qrow, still poised for flight, turned his attention back to the girl below him. _Of course she stepped on a twig_ , he thought shamefully. No one around him had ever been extremely fortunate. Though his semblance typically caused greater upset than a broken twig. Movement in the bushes around the girl in the cloak drew his gaze, and he quickly realized that it wasn't the twig that made the girl swear. _Ah. There it is,_ he thought ruefully.  
Three Ursi slowly stood up on their hind legs out of the bushes, dwarfing the petite figure even further.

Dispite their menacing snarls, she stood her ground and stared up at the largest of the three Grimm without so much as another step backward. Even though she was drastically outmatched, Qrow didn't pick up even a tremor of fear.

At least, he caught nothing in the fluid movements _not_ covered by her cloak. He watched as the girl unsheathed a sword from somewhere under her cloak with a slow, deliberate motion. Intrigue caused him to fold his wings back against his body as, with an audible click, the sword separated into two and the girl held one expertly in each hand. The blades were silver, the dappled light from the forest canopy glinting off of them in showy patterns that almost made them seem alive.  
The girl slid into a fighting stance, swords raised and ready. The Ursa to her right let out a guttural roar, and she leapt into action.  
Her movements were like a dance; the way that she slashed at the Grimm was graceful and collected. Easy, like she had all the time in the world. Yet within moments she had landed a multitude of precise enough blows to render one of the Ursa dead. Through the black fog its body produced, a second pounced at her, swatting her across the small clearing.  
Qrow felt a knot of concern settle in his stomach, but his only reaction was to hop further along his branch to get a better view.

Instead of fighting the blow, the girl used the momentum and spun with it, connecting her swords as one blade again before digging the blade into the dirt. She braced her feet against it as it slid through the ground, coming to balance gracefully upright on the tip of the hilt as she slowed to a stop. Her hood had fallen down in the lithe recovery, revealing shoulder-length, intense red hair. From this angle, Qrow could just make out steely silver eyes --bright with the heat of battle --and an easy smirk. It seemed like she was thoroughly enjoying this encounter.  
The two remaining Ursa slowly circled her. They were looking for an angle of attack, and even though the girl didn't turn her head or move at all, Qrow knew that she was aware of exactly where the Grimm were.  
The smaller of the two Ursa pounced without warning. It was younger and more eager to start a fight. The girl was prepared though.  
She leapt into the air in a barely perceivable motion, propelling herself high enough to do a nimble flip over the creature, who hadn't expected her to move at all. She landed in a brief handstand on the hilt of her sword, both hands firmly encircling the grip, before using the power from a smooth backflip to pull her sword out of the ground and hurl it at the Grimm that had just charged her in one fluid motion. It had been in the process of skidding to a halt and turning around; the sword embedded itself in the Ursa's neck and wretched its head sideways. The Grimm fell over dead, quickly disappearing into black fog.  
In the short wake of her successful hit, the girl had lost sight of the final Ursa, the biggest of the three. From his vantage point, Qrow had kept an eye on it the entire time. She was looking for it in the bushes as she inched toward her fallen weapon, but the Grimm had slunk through the undergrowth and was preparing itself to pounce from the opposite direction she was searching.  
In one hasty, coordinated movement, Qrow shot up into the air on only a few powerful downward wing strokes. His movement caught the girl's attention and she looked up, her silver eyed stare unwavering. Qrow quickly shifted forms in a burst of black feathers, immediately drawing his weapon and dropping down as the final Ursa leapt out of the bushes toward the girl. He landed on top of it, driving his broad sword in between the shoulder blades of the Grimm. Its lifeless body fell to the forest floor, sliding a few feet and coming to a stop mere inches from its unflinching almost-prey. Qrow used his weapon to balance himself as the creature disappeared, shooting the girl in the white cloak a cocky smirk as the black fog cleared and his feet were on solid ground.  
"You're welcome," he offered almost mocking into the silence, trying not to think about how it was probably his fault she had lost sight the third Ursa in the first place.  
"I can take care of myself," she replied. Her voice was soft, but also unwavering and defiant. Qrow wasn't sure what he had been expecting from the seemingly shy girl, but it wasn't this.  
The quiet that followed the battle allowed him to observe her while she caught her breath. This close, he could tell her shoulder-length hair was auburn before it faded into the rich ruby red at the ends. Her eyes, an unusual silver he's sure he had never seen before, were trained on him, piercing and fierce. She was no longer smirking, instead her mouth was set in a disapproving line. Her cloak was thrown back from the fight, revealing a black long-sleeved shirt, skirt, tights, and combat boots. Her hard stare and hands-on-her-hips stance was nothing like the reserved girl he had seen on the airship yesterday.  
As it was, Qrow couldn't remove the smirk from his face. The top of this girl’s head barely came up to the center of his chest, yet her ferocity and indignation at the idea of someone else thinking she couldn't handle herself was that of someone twice her size.

So it was without reservation that he held his hand out, tossed his sword on his shoulder with the other, and gave the girl a wink. "So this means we're partners?"  
The girl looked from his offered hand to his face, her eyes narrowed as if she was sizing him up. Eventually she must have come to some satisfactory conclusion, because she took his hand in a firm shake. "Summer," she said a bit less hotly, and Qrow assumed that was her name.  
He looked down at their hands; her's was so small compared to his. He was amazed that such a delicate looking person could fearlessly face off with three Ursa by herself. There was no way he would underestimate her again. "Qrow," he told her before looking back up at her face.  
In the short time he had removed his eyes from her face, Summer had pulled her hood back up and her cloak around her shoulders more fully. The black outfit underneath was no longer showing, and Qrow couldn't help but become even more curious as she receded into herself once more. Summer pulled her hand from his --he hadn't even been aware he was still holding it --and flashed him a soft smile from under her hood. "Qrow?" she repeated in a dry sort of humorous tone. "You don't say."  
He didn't get a chance to respond before she had turned around and was retrieving her weapon from where it had landed after the Ursa it had impaled disappeared. With a suddenness that started the both of them a roaring screech, the same one they had heard when they were all still on the top of the cliff, all but shook the trees. It was closer than it had been before and drew Summer and Qrow’s attention towards the sky.

Summer was the first to move. "You coming?" she tossed back at him in her quiet voice, not waiting for him to respond before she set off in the direction she had originally been heading. With a frown, Qrow collapsed his weapon and hung it on his back before following her.

 

\----------

 

Raven shoved a low hanging branch out of her way with enough force to snap it. She’d been traipsing through this accursed forest for almost an hour now. Her irritation has been steadily growing ever since she was launched off of that damned cliff, and she wished that Qrow would just find her already.

The mission they had been given, search and recover, was a training task that she was familiar with. It wasn't exactly hard by her standards, and she hasn't come across a single Grimm yet in Seolfor’s ‘Grimm infested’ woods.

Raven scoffed. If this was Beacon’s idea of a challenge, she was going to be bored for the duration of her schooling. This was child’s play where she was from. She remembered conducting more dangerous missions when she was five, and back then it was all in the name of fun and games. Now she was training to be a Huntress and all she had to work with was a soggy forest and not a single Grimm.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the same screechy call that had been hanging over the Emerald Forest before she even entered it.

So scratch that. She had a soggy forest, not a single Grimm, _and_ an ominous noise that may or may not be entirely fabricated by her new instructors. Pile that on top of the mud, sweat, and constant fear that her brother was going to expose them, and though she was sure this day didn't even come close to her last day with the Tribe, it was definitely high up on her list of Worst Days Ever.

It was pretty safe to say that Raven just wanted to finish the task they were all given and maybe actually get a shower. But she could collect as many relics as there were trees in the forest, it would do her absolutely no good if she couldn't find a partner. The fact that it was one of the mission requirements irritated her to no end. Once she found Qrow, things would be just as they have been her entire life; the two of them against the world.

Raven looked toward the dense branches over her head again, expecting to see a large blackbird staring down at her. Only leaves and shadows filled her view, and she let out an irritated huff.

Just as she lowered her eyes to look out among the tree trunks again, Raven heard a rustling in the bushes to her right. Her immediate thought was a sparked excitement, the prospect of actually getting a chance to blow off steam a welcome interruption. Raven immediately stopped and drew her sword, red bloodsteel blade already attached. Her eyes darted over her surroundings, seeking anything that she could use to her advantage, as well as everything that could cause her problems. Without her brother here she at least didn't have to worry as much that a branch would fall on her head or that her foot would slip on the grass.

As the rustling in the bushes grew louder and more pronounced, Raven finally turned to face the noise head on. She was hoping at least for a pack of beowolves. They seemed so abundant in this part of the world, and she had become familiar with their ambush tactics.The thing in the bushes however sounded much bigger than a few beowolves. Perhaps it was a Grimm that would actually present a challenge.

The rustling suddenly stopped as her adversary prepared to attack. Raven counted to three before pouncing into the undergrowth herself, hoping to gain the element of surprise.

It only took her a second to decide that whatever was in the bushes was in fact not a Grimm when it screamed as she collided with it. It was a lot smaller than all its stomping around had lead her to believe, and the ‘it’ actually turned out to be a ‘he’.

The guy sprawled out on the ground was lucky she hadn’t pushed the tip of her sword through the foliage first. Raven brought it down slowly instead as she stood over him, pointing it directly at his throat. She recognized this guy. He was the blond she had seen on the airship yesterday, showing off his strength by lifting some girl into the air. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she demanded, lip curled in displeasure as she realized what the sight of his startled blue eyes meant.

The blond dropped the surprised look off of  his face rather quickly, replacing it with a cocky smirk that was entirely different than the one she was used to seeing from Qrow. “Stealthily making my way through a forest full of Grimm,” he shot back, and Raven couldn't tell if he was joking or not.

She couldn't believe that this man of all people was who she was now stuck with as her partner. Her brother wasn't even here and her luck was still rotten. Amazing.

Raven took a half a step back and pulled her sword away from the guy’s neck, holding it loosely at her side instead. Still present but nowhere near as threatening as it could be. “Let’s hope you fight better than you sneak,” she snapped.

The blond propped himself up on his elbows. “I do a lot of things better than I sneak.” His claim was accompanied by a flirtatious wink that only served to make Raven roll her eyes. A second or two passed before he leapt to his feet, his face now colored with indignation. “Hey, wait a minute! My sneaking wasn't that bad.”

Raven’s only response was a quirked eyebrow.

The guy sputtered for a bit. “Okay _fine_ . It wasn't _spectacular._ ”

Grappling with the fact that her new partner was a moron, Raven held up a hand to shut him up. “It doesn't matter. Right now, we need to find that temple and get our relic. And maybe find some Grimm to kill along the way.”

Her new _partner_ ’s eyes suddenly grew wide as he stared at her. _Good,_ Raven thought. A healthy dose of respect would make this partnership go a lot smoother.

The blonde raised a hand at pointed at something over her shoulder. “Uh, you mean Grimm like that?”

Raven glowered at him. “Grimm like wha-” She stopped talking as a cloud of warm, sticky breath billowed over the top of her head, bringing the realization that the blonde hadn’t been looking at _her_ with fear. The hot air filled her nose with the acrid scent of burning corpses and rotting things. Raven spun around, sword coming up and ready, as she found herself face to face with the antlered bonemask of a Hartless.

The creature pawed at the ground with a cloven hoof before lowering it’s head and bellowing directly into her face.

Raven gritted her teeth and grinned back in twisted excitement. “Finally!”

 


	3. The Best Way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm kind of extremely mad that RT decided to wait until after i started this story to begin answering our questions in canon. But like i have stated previously, canon is canon and Invicta is Invicta. I'm sorry that this chapter took a little longer to get out, but here it finally is! This is the first fight scene i've written in a while, so I'm still working out some kinks. But without further ado, enjoy!

“The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.”

\--Ernest Hemingway

 

Summer wasn’t exactly sure how she felt about Qrow. As a partner or just in general, really.

On the one hand, when he wasn't ominously staring at her from across a room, his company was actually quite pleasant. Despite their difference in height -Summer was eye-level with his _chest,_ did everyone their age have to be so _tall-_ he didn't force her to keep up with a long-strided pace. He actually adjusted himself so that he could keep in step with her, like he was content to let her lead. And he was quiet. He hasn’t asked her a prying question, or any question yet for that matter, and his movements were muffled and practiced.

On the other hand, the fact that he was quiet and accommodating almost felt out of place. Not that she knew the guy at all, but it didn't seem like it would go with the cocky, brash entrance he had made. It simply wasn't anything that she was used to, and Summer wasn't sure what to make of it.

She was keeping them on an invisible path northward, mulling over what little information she’d been able to gleen about Qrow since they partnered up, when he finally decided to talk.

“So are you giving me the silent treatment, or are you just naturally this quiet?”

His words made the corners of her mouth twitch up in an almost- smile. “What do you want to talk about?” She was actually interested in what his response would be. With their difference in height and her hood, there wasn't a subtle way to look up at his face and use his expression to gauge the reason behind his question. And maybe talking to him would reveal a little more about his character.

“Ah, so you’re just quiet,” he said, hamming up the amount of relief in his tone. “I was beginning to think you were still mad at me for that last Ursa.”

Summer heard the teasing in his words. She knew that he was making fun of her. But she still turned her head up to face him with a defiant expression. The only thing that prevented her from shooting back some kind of retort was the crooked smirk adorning his face. Summer forced herself to relax. His startling red eyes, something she was slowly getting used to, gave off more emotion than he probably wanted. They showed his curiosity, and didn't hold a single drop of malice or belittling that she could see.

So Summer rolled her eyes and gave him her own smirk before looking back towards the trees in front of them; they were still in a forest full of Grimm after all. “Thank you for that,” she said, putting as much honest feeling into the words as she could. Begrudgingly, she added, “I lost sight of it towards the end of the fight.”

Her admission made him scoff. “It probably wasn't your fault.”

His tone drew her gaze once again. She almost thought that she heard guilt leak into his voice but he had his head turned away from her as he scanned the shadows around them for threats. “Of course it was my fault,” she rebutted slowly, puzzling over _why_ exactly he would feel guilty for a dumb mistake that she made. “I was too focused on taking out the other one. I stopped paying attention for a second, and if you hadn’t been there it would have cost me.”

Silence met her words. Summer frowned and stopped walking as she took in her new partner’s hunched, melancholy demeanor. It was different enough from his previous behavior that she pushed her own curiosity aside and replaced it with concern. “Qrow.”

He stopped at the sound of his name and let out a sigh before turning around to look at her.

“You saved my life,” she said earnestly once their eyes met. “Thank you.”

He held her gaze for a short while, and Summer felt like she was being examined both inside and out, even though his eyes never left hers. It wasn't long before he blinked the somberness off his face and flashed her another smirk, transforming once again into someone previously unrecognizable. “Come on, Short-stack. We still have a ways to go before we get to the temple.”

Summer sputtered as her partner turned around and began walking. “ _Short-stack_?” she repeated, far more laughter in her own tone than she had intended. Summer started following after him, blaming her lack of rage on the fact that Qrow had been upset -the reason something she would have to go back to later- and apparently a detached sense of uncaring bravado was how he pushed away whatever he didn't want to think about. She stored that bit of information about her partner away, deciding that a short joke or two from him in her expense wouldn't hurt anything. At least from him they sounded teasing and held no bite.

Still, she couldn't just _let him get away with it._

When she caught up with him, Qrow shortened his stride again. Summer appreciated the unprompted action, but still let out a huff like she was irritated. “What if you only think that I’m short because you- you’re walking around on those _stilts_ that you call legs?”

Qrow looked down at her, his smirk dangerously approaching an actual smile. “Stilts?” he repeated with a short laugh. “Is that the best you could come up with?”

Summer pulled down her hood so she could return his gaze properly. It wasn’t something that she did often, it made her feel too exposed. She had learned early on that it was better to just stay hidden, but it was just her and her new partner right now. She would be with him until the end of their schooling and the initial awkwardness felt like it was melting away. The lack of apprehension she felt in it’s absence was exhilarating. “I’ve been short my entire life, you _titan_. I have an extensive reserve of names for tall people.”

She got a real smile from him after that one. “I can’t wait to hear them.” He sounded so nonchalant, Summer had to restrain herself from stomping her foot. She settled on forcing a hard breath out through her nose, but didn't rise to his bait. She refused to play his game.

A moment passed in silence, only filled by the wind blowing through the tree branches and their quiet footfalls, before Qrow broke it. “Okay now I _know_ you’re giving me the silent treatment.”

Summer managed to hold onto her straight face for all of two seconds before a smile cracked through. She decided right then that her partner’s company was undoubtedly pleasant, and reveled in the idea that her initial fears were unfounded. She was paired with someone she got along with and, from what little she had seen of his fighting skills before, she didn't think that he would be a bad person to have at her back. “How much farther do you think we have to go?” she asked to change the subject and prove him wrong. Only time could really tell if she and her partner would make a good team.

Qrow squinted up at the sky beyond the tree branches overhead. “Can’t be that much. We’ve been walking for a while. If you want, I can just shift and fly ahead to-”

A now-familiar, screeching cry tore through the forest again, cutting off Qrow’s offer. It reverberated among the tree trunks and squashed any notion of splitting up. It sounded closer than the first time Summer had heard it on top of the cliff, and she wondered what kind of creature it belonged to. She wondered silently if she even wanted to know.

With a nod, Summer pulled her hood up over her head out of habit. “Well there goes that idea,” she said wryly as the echoes died out. She held back her questions about Qrow’s ability to change into a bird in light of the more pressing matter of keeping themselves alive, but she added it to the list of puzzles to untangle later. For now, Summer silently unsheathed her sword, her grip on its hilt tight with anticipation. “We might want to pick up the pace. I don't think that Initiation is going to last until nightfall, but I would rather not test that.” She heard the soft sound of well maintained metal sliding against metal and she assumed that Qrow had drawn and extended his broadsword. Briefly her mind lingered on the weapon, wondering if it had as many hidden traits as its owner.

“Scared of the dark?” Qrow asked from her side, easily keeping pace.

Summer turned her head to look up at him around her hood. “No, but I do enjoy being able to _see_ when something’s attacking me.”

With an agreeable shrug from Qrow, the two lapsed into silence as they made their way further north. The underbrush was beginning to thin out, allowing them to see farther into the trees. Neither saw any Grimm lurking after them, and for now the only sounds that reached their ears were the natural sounds of the forest.

Summer breathed in deeply as a pleasantly warm breeze ruffled her cloak. The birdsong overhead and the buzzing of the insects that occasionally floated past gave her a warm feeling deep in her chest. Despite the infestation of Grimm in the area, nature was not only persevering, but flourishing. It gave her hope that one day the Huntsmen would be enough to beat back the Grimm completely, and no one would have to live in fear of the twisted creatures again.

The refreshing breeze stayed with them until they got to the edge of the forest. The trees almost abruptly stopped, leaving a large, open clearing in the middle of the woods. Summer and Qrow lingered at the treeline, assessing what lay in the clearing ahead.

The ruins that Ozpin had mentioned were small but impressive. Stone  pillars strewn across an ancient courtyard, a circular wall that managed to stay half-standing through the weather and years. It might have been a majestic man-made tower at one point, but now it belonged to nature. Plants had started to take over, climbing up piles of stone and covering brick pathways.

In the center of the ruined courtyard however, stood a circle of pedestals that seemed untouched by age, as if they were either placed there after the ruins fell to disrepair, or they were regularly tended to. On top of each pillar sat an object glittering in the sunlight. Summer couldn't make them out at this distance, but she could at least tell that none of the artifacts were missing yet.

“We’re the first ones here,” she mentioned out loud as Qrow began picking his way down the slope towards the ruins. She followed him slowly, eyes searching the stone structures in front of them for any signs of an ambush.

Qrow scoffed at her words, not looking at her as he replied, “As if anyone I’ve seen so far has enough skill to even be a match for us.”

Summer shot an admonishing glare at the back of his head. “You don’t know anything about anyone in our year,” she chided, “don’t be so quick to pass judgement. You barely know anything about _me._ ”

“I know that you’re a great fighter,” Qrow shot back. “I can’t say the same about anyone else.”

Summer shook her head, even though she knew that he couldn't see it. “That’s because you’ve seen me fight.”

Qrow was quiet for a moment before sighing loudly. “It doesn't matter. The only people I have to care about are you, me, and whoever we wind up on a team with. Two out of those four people I can count on. With any _luck_ ,” he seemed to spit the word out, drawing Summer’s curiosity, “We’ll get lumped with Raven and whatever chump she’s got as a partner.”

Deciding not to continue the argument in favor of something much better, Summer switched topics. “ _Raven_ is your sister’s name?”

Qrow must have heard the humor in her tone. She really had tried to hide it. “Yeah, laugh it up.”

Summer couldn't stop a giggle from escaping. “So you’re Qrow and Raven? Can she turn into a bird too?”

Qrow’s shoulders hunched forward, hands shoved into his pockets. “I liked it better when you weren’t talking to me.”

They were halfway between the treeline and the ruins when a bellow stopped the in their tracks, cutting off Summer’s muffled laughter. Birds took to the sky, crying out their irritation at the disturbance as the trees on the edge of the clearing shook.

Summer felt the Grimm approach before she saw it, the chilling lack of aura -of anything resembling life- brushing against the back of her mind and making her whip around to face the treeline. Qrow had turned around as well, standing to her left and forward just enough that she could see him around her hood. He held his broadsword at his side, loose but ready.

The Emerald Forest was truly silent for all of five seconds before chaos burst forth from the trees in the shape of a large Hartless. Hooves pounding, tossing clods of dirt and grass in its wake, it let out another enraged bellow.

At its shoulders the Grimm was taller than even Qrow. The bone plates that covered its body and stood up in gruesome looking spikes on its back told Summer that this Grim was older than most she had fought before. It may even be an alpha, though she hasn't seen enough Hartless in person to be sure.

The Grimm tossed its regal head, but even at its size the action wasn't quite as smooth as it should have been; hanging off of one of the creatures towering antlers was a person, and upon realizing who it was, Summer was not as surprised as she should have been.

She immediately recognized the blond hair and khaki pants of the guy showing off on the airship yesterday, lapping up the surrounding crowd’s attention. Summer had kept an eye on him for most of the flight, trying to gauge just how well he would do at Beacon. The flippant way that he flaunted his skill was what turned her off. There was no denying that he _had_ skill, but it wasn't until now that Summer wondered if he had any brains to go along with his strength.

The Hartless reared and attempted to dislodge the blond with a sharp jab of a hoof, but the guy curled up and pulled himself just out of reach. He whooped in either excitement or to taunt the beast. Either way, Summer thought he was a lunatic.

“He’s going to get himself killed,” she said to her partner. “We have to help him.”

“I don't know,” was Qrow’s almost lazy reply, “he seems to be having fun.”

Summer took her eyes off the Hartless briefly to cast a hard glare at him. “Qrow.”

Qrow rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to say something back, probably something bitingly sarcastic, but his words were interrupted by a loud yell that didn't belong to any of the three people in the clearing.

“You absolute _moron_!”

Summer turned her head towards the new voice, barely managing to catch the beginnings of Qrow’s wicked grin. “Oh this is rich,” she heard her partner say just as she caught sight of his twin emerging from the same clump of trees across the clearing that the Hartless had just barreled through.

“What did you think this would accomplish?” Raven continued to scream at the blond. “Now I’m going to have to save your dumb ass! I have better things to do with my life!”

Summer pulled her hood down with her free hand before looking at Qrow once again. He had the tip of his weapon resting on the ground, practically holding him up as he doubled over, laughing. “Qrow, that is a big Grimm. We _need_ to help them.”

Qrow waved a hand at her. “You go,” he managed, gasping between bouts of laughter, “I’ll catch up. This is too good.”

Summer scowled, but sucked in a deep breath and let it out in an irritated huff instead of arguing further. With a familiar click she uncoupled ThornBlossom’s two blades and turned back towards the fight.

 

\----------

 

Raven regretted every choice she had ever made in her entire life up until this point. She regretted not changing forms when she was launched off that cliff, she regretted not using her semblance to find her brother as soon as she could, and she most definitely regretted looking Taiyang Xiao Long directly in the eyes when she caught him ‘sneaking’ after her.

“This is fun!” he had shouted like the idiot he was as the Hartless ran off with the blonde hanging from its antlers. How he had managed to get himself up there -or why he had even attempted it- was beyond her. Raven really didn't care to ask. All she did care about was that her brand new partner, the person she was supposed to fight alongside of _for the next four years_ , was an absolute, dimwitted _moron_.

Raven glared at the Grimm, at her partner, at the whole situation, with narrowed red eyes. Her sword was drawn, bloodsteel blade attached to the hilt. The weapon was poised and ready, but Raven waited.

“I’ve got this!” Taiyang reassured her. His voice was hoarse with what she assumed was exhilaration, if the huge grin on his face was anything to go by.

Raven gritted her teeth in a silent snarl as she watched Taiyang pull himself up and curl his body practically into a ball, before dropping all his weight while still hanging onto the Hartless’ antlers. Taiyang’s full weight and gravity worked together to jerk the Grimm’s head to the side, causing the creature to stumble and almost crash down on it’s knees.

The Hartless regained its footing quickly, and tried to rear again. Raven was loath to admit it, but as soon as she realized what Taiyang was doing she knew it was a good plan.

Idiotic and unnecessarily risky -she enjoyed living, _thank you_ \- but if the blond managed to get his idea to work it would create an opening for her to move in for a heavy blow. She watched as he repeated his actions, using his full weight to attempt to bring the Hartless crashing to the ground. Fixing her stance, Raven slowly circled the Grimm. The burning hatred in it’s eyes forced a chill down her spine, but she ignored it in favor of waiting for her cue.

Two more attempts from Tai drew another enraged bellow from the Grimm. At the third, Raven’s attention slipped for a moment as she noticed two more figures in the clearing; that girl in the white cloak and her _brother_ , of course. Paired up with the first pretty thing he saw.

Raven almost missed Taiyang’s fourth attempt, which was the one that brought the Hartless down. Dirt, grass, and rocks flew in all directions. The Grimm landed on its shoulder first, its impact with the ground marked by an audible thud. It twisted itself around on its back, antlers narrowly missing Taiyang as it did so. All four of its cloven-hooved feet flailed in the air as it attempted to regain its balance and the upper hand.

Raven’s attention swung back to the fight. She hastily jumped at the fallen creature, silently cursing herself for letting her attention slip like that. She held her sword suspended overhead in preparation for a hard blow that never landed.

Pain made Raven’s vision blur as a solid back hoof kicked her directly in the stomach. She was sent flying backwards, stopping abruptly as her back collided with a nearby tree. Raven’s aura absorbed most of the damage, but the hit still forced the air out of her lungs. She slumped to the ground, anger pulsating in tune with the thrumming of her heartbeat in her head as she struggled to suck in a breath.

A few moments -a lifetime?- passed and her vision slowly stopped spinning as she managed to breathe. She was made aware of her brother crouching next to her - _how did he get over here?_ \- and offering her an extended hand. A few more breaths and the sounds of the forest came rushing back startlingly loud. She was made aware that Qrow was calling her name.

“Raven? Are you alright?” He sounded concerned, and she was quick to brush him off after he pulled her to her feet..

“‘m fine,” she hissed past the sharp pain pulsating through her back. It was quick enough to subside as her aura did its work, but the forest around her still spun for a bit longer. Raven spat a glob of blood on the ground from when she bit her tongue, some time between sailing through the air and getting to know that tree.

Qrow handed her her sword, a grimace on his face.

A sharp look stopped him from saying anything, though. She already knew what words were going to leave his mouth. She was reckless. She didn't think things through. She hadn't fought this badly since she was a kid. With an irritated scoff, Raven took her weapon and looked it over briefly for any lasting damage. Satisfied when she found none, she turned back towards the Grimm.

Taiyang and her brother’s partner seemed to be doing an acceptable job of keeping the Hartless distracted. Each of them would dart in and land a blow while the beast was lunging towards the other. It was effective in at least holding its attention, but they would need more than light hits and fancy footwork to take this Grimm down.

“What’s the plan?” she asked Qrow as they stalked across the clearing, back into the fight. The familiar mechanical clanking of gears told Raven that her brother had squeezed the lever on the handle of his weapon, extending Lunar Eclipse into its full scythe form. That usually meant he was ready for a serious fight.

Raven couldn't wait.

“Well,” Qrow began, “I think that your guy is planning on hitting it as hard as he can until it falls over again.”

Raven practically snarled when he said “your guy”. The thought of being associated with him in any kind of capacity made her lip curl. This was all Taiyang’s fault in the first place. Qrow’s next words however quickly turned the outraged noise into an amused snort.

“The thing almost landed on him when it went down the first time.”

They were back at the fight by now. Raven jumped into the fray with a more controlled series of movements this time around, slicing her sword across the Hartless’ flank while it tried to impale Qrow’s partner with a sweep of its antlers. Luckily she danced out of the way just in time, and Raven managed to leap clear of the Grimm’s reach as it turned on her with an enraged roar.

“If anyone has any ideas, now would be a great time to share them!” Raven snapped impatiently. Taiyang darted forward to land a forceful punch to the side of one of the Hartless’ hind legs, gauntlet flashing as a dust round went off, making it buckle momentarily.

The Hartless stumbled, regained its footing with a stamp of it’s back hoof, and whipped around to attack the blond. Raven couldn't even get out a shout in warning before the Hartless scooped him up with its antlers and tossed him into the air like a ragdoll.

Taiyang landed in the grass with a dull thud a short ways away, but the others couldn't do anything beyond place themselves between him and the thrashing Grimm.

“Can you two get it down on the ground?” yelled Qrow’s partner, already sheathing her sword.

Raven and Qrow shared a glance before moving forward to block the Hartless’ charge.

Qrow lept forward and hooked his scythe around the creature’s neck and pulled back, weary of the back hooves as they tried to kick out to dislodge him. The Grimm let out a shrieking cry as the metal bit into the skin at its throat, wretching its head backwards.

At the same time, Raven had moved forward and spun around, aiming a heavy blow at the back of the Grimm’s front legs. The added force of her momentum caused its knees to immediately buckle. As it pitched forward, the Grimm’s own weight caused Qrow’s scythe to dig further into its neck. Its head was almost resting fully on its back, its razor-sharp antlers missing Qrow’s arm by a hair.

“Now would be great, Summer!” Qrow shouted to his partner, but the girl was already a blur of white petals shooting into the air directly above them. Raven watched as she -Summer- slowed almost a hundred feet in the air, cloak billowing around her. She held what Raven recognized as the white sheath to her sword pointed straight down towards the Grimm, though the girl held it like a rifle. The tip of it flashed and shots suddenly echoed as precisely-aimed dust rounds hit the Hartless square in the back as Summer gracefully fell back down to the ground.

Raven felt the strength ebbing from the Grimm as it took shot after shot. As Summer neared the ground, and Raven began to think that she would land on the Grimm before it was destroyed, an outraged shout sounded off from directly in front of the Hartless.

“You ripped a hole in my pants, you fuck!”

Raven looked down just in time to watch Taiyang reel back a fist and thrust it forward, landing a punch right in the center of the Grimm’s exposed throat. It’s pained bellow turned into a gargle as it exploded in a burst of black smoke and yellow flames.

Summer landed smoothly, crouching in the now-empty space among a splash of white petals. All four of them panted for breath in the newfound silence as the air cleared.

Qrow was the first to move. Raven watched her brother retract his weapon back into its broadsword form before stowing it away on his back.

“I hate this school,” Raven said to no one in particular, sheathing her own weapon.

Taiyang was looking at the tear in the leg of his pants with a grimace. “I thought you wanted to kill some Grimm.” He looked up at her and Raven had to restrain herself from punching him in one of his bright blue eyes. It was easy once her brother opened his mouth, because then she wanted to punch _him_.

“She’s just got her feathers ruffled because that Hartless almost shoved an entire tree up her ass.”

The two of them laughed, and Raven even heard the soft snickering of Summer to her left. “I’m going to murder all of you,” she told them, “and I’m going to enjoy it.”

Her words didn't quell their laughter, and Raven clenched her jaw against the heated anger boiling her blood.

“Aw, come on Raven!” Taiyang placated with a shiteating grin. “We can make like a tree and _leaf_ this topic alone if you really want us to.”

Raven clenched her fists and glared directly at her new partner. He at least had the sense to bite his tongue against further laughter and look chastised. That's more than could be said for her brother, who was practically wiping tears from his eyes. “Qrow,” Raven started in a dangerously level voice, “I’m going to give you three seconds to stop.”

Qrow straightened up and quelled his laughter enough to get words out. “Yeah? Or what?”

Before Raven could respond, the air was filled with the same screeching cry that had been following them all morning. The four of them looked to the sky, but only clouds and sunshine met their eyes.

“That thing has scary good timing,” Taiyang said in a stage whisper.

Raven glared at him, but Summer spoke up before she could rebuke him for his dumb jokes.

“As much as I enjoy fighting Grimm, I think that we should grab our relics and go.” Raven looked at her, finding that the girl had pulled her hood back up and reattached her weapon to her belt. “We have no idea how big whatever is making that noise is, and I don't know about you guys but after that Hartless I really don't want to find out.”

She didn't want to agree, but Raven grudgingly saw the wisdom in Summer’s words. There was no sense in getting into a fight they weren't sure that they could win. “Fine,” she said out loud. Qrow and Tai were quick to murmur their agreements as well.

Summer led the four of them to the pedestals situated in a circle in the ruins. Raven swept her eyes over each of the relics sitting on top of them, surprised to discover that they were large, ornate keys. Made of different metals with different gems or pretty stones decorating them, a coloured ribbon hanging off of each one. They weren't arranged in any sort of pattern, but she silently noted that there were two of each.

“How about we take this one?” Raven heard Summer say to Qrow a little distance away. She looked up to see the girl holding a gold key with a ruby embedded in the handle. A red ribbon was tied to the shaft. “It matches your eyes,” Summer added mockingly.

Raven rolled her own eyes before looking back at the rest of the keys, hunting for the match to the one Summer held. There was no evidence as of yet to support her theory, but the fact that there was two of each key had to mean something. And Raven would try almost anything to get on a team with her brother.

“That one,” she said, pointing to the gold key resting on the pedestal across the way. The ruby that adorned it glittered in the sunlight.

Taiyang looked up from where he had been looking at a bronze key with a yellow gem. “The red one?” he asked, following her over to it.

Raven picked it up and examined it. “Yes.” She gestured towards Summer and her brother. “It matches the one they have. And, if I’m right, these key have something to do with how we’ll get placed on teams.”

Taiyang looked between the two keys. “And you want to be on a team with your brother.” he guessed.

Raven scoffed as she pocketed their key, ignoring the fact that he was right. “I want to be on a team with people who I know can fight well,” she corrected a little harshly. “Someone’s got to pick up your slack.” She walked over to Summer and Qrow.

“That is not fair,” Taiyang spluttered as he trailed after her. “I am an awesome fighter. I’m the one who got the final blow on that Hartless!”

“You’re also the only one who got your pants ripped in the process,” Raven pointed out. The four of them made their way back towards the trees at the southernmost end of the clearing, headed towards the cliff they had started at.

“You’re mean,” Taiyang pouted, looking at the ground and missing Raven’s second eyeroll, this one directed at him.

“Come on, guys,” Summer chided, walking backwards so that she could face the two of them. “We’ve got our relics. Now comes the easy part. We just have to get back to the cliff.” She pointed behind them, at the ruins. “The next pairs are already showing up.”

Raven turned her head and saw that she was right. Two guys were running up to the pedestals, coming from the east. They must have been way off course, Raven was surprised that they found this place at all. “Let’s go,” she immediately said, turning back around and grabbing Taiyang’s arm to pull him forward. “Stop looking at your pants.”

Taiyang offered no resistance as she led him towards the trees. “But this was my favorite pair,” he whined, “and now there’s a big hole in the leg. This is _tear-_ able _._ ”

Raven immediately stopped walking, letting Taiyang keep going until her grip on his arm yanked him back. “I can’t believe that you just made me listen to that,” she said in a flat tone. “Never say that again.”

Her partner all but _giggled_ , and Raven immediately turned around. “Can we trade partners?” she asked her brother.

Qrow grinned, probably relishing in her torture, the asshole. He rested his arm on his own partner’s head and pretended to lean his weight on her. “No can do, I’m pretty happy with how this turned out.”

Summer stomped on Qrow’s foot, causing him to wince and remove his arm.

Raven let out a derisive snort. Perhaps Summer would actually be a good partner for her brother. She definitely didn't seem like the kind to let him get away with his usual bullshit. “Fine,” she shot back, “but if I end up murdering him, I’m pinning it on you.” Raven turned back around and continued through the trees.

“I’m feeling very unsafe right now,” Taiyang joked.


	4. What We Do Have

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyyy... Odd work hours this week made me have to rush a bit at the end to get this chapter done, but I did it for you guys! Only a few hours late. Not bad. I already have ideas bubbling for the next chapter, and a light work week to make it happen, so it'll probably be out earlier next Saturday.
> 
> Side note: Question, actually. Christmas is coming up and i have a cheesy idea for a Christmas oneshot in my Invicta Universe. In the timeline of this story, it would take place during team STRQ's second year. So a bit of a momentary jump into the future, but would you all be interested in reading it as my Christmas present to you?

 

“Making the best of what we do have, instead of begrudging what we don’t, has a way of creating all that we’ll ever need.”

― Charles F. Glassman _, Brain Drain The Breakthrough That Will Change Your Life_

  


 

The sound of bare feet slapping on hardwood floors echoed throughout the empty house. Six year old Taiyang Xiao Long was running as fast as his little legs could carry him, desperate to get to the front door before his parents left again. They had promised him that they would stay until after his birthday party. It was still four days away -he was counting them on the calendar- but he saw the suitcases sitting out by the car through his bedroom window. He had to try and stop them from leaving.

“Daddy!” he called as he thundered down the stairs. “Daddy, you promised!”

Hong Xiao Long stood by the front door at the bottom of the main staircase. In his combat outfit, he looked intimidating. Dark hair, stern face, one hand resting on one of the battle axes strapped to his belt. Not many would approach the Hunter when he was armed to the teeth like he was, but Taiyang wasn't afraid of anything. Especially his father.

He skidded to a stop in front of the Huntsman, not bothering to prevent himself from barreling into the man’s legs. “You can’t leave, you promised!” he repeated, wrapping his arms around his father like he could physically stop him from walking out the door behind him.

Hong sighed and patted the boy’s back. “I know, but your mother and I got a call. There’s people out there who need us.”

At this point there were fat tears rolling down Taiyang’s cheeks as he looked up into his father’s face. “But _I_ need you,” he choked out. “We were gonna make a pillow fort later. And- and practice defending it against Grimm. And- and-”

Hong untangled himself from Taiyang’s hold and knelt down so he could look the six year old levelly. Taiyang felt large, gentle hands grip his shoulders, and he looked up to meet his father’s warm brown eyes. “Taiyang, listen to me,” his father said seriously. “Not everyone is as fortunate as you and I. We have a safe place to live, a nice house. You have your mom and I, and Violet to watch over you when we can’t be here.”

Taiyang knew all this. His parents told him this all the time. “When you leave, it’s to keep people safe,” he supplied with a hard sniffle.

Hong squeezed his shoulders and smiled a small smile. “That’s right. Not everyone has the safety that we do. Your mother and I have to help them in any way that we can. We made that promise the day that we decided to become Huntsmen.”

Taiyang knew that this was the part in the conversation where he was supposed to say that he was going to make that promise one day too, but the young boy didn't have it in him to follow the script today. “I miss you when you’re gone,” he said quietly instead.

A frown found it’s way onto Hong’s face. “Sometimes things aren't the way they are because of choice, son,” he said. Taiyang felt bad for making his father look so sad. “Sometimes it’s because something happened that made it that way. We don't have any control over it, so we have to work with what we’re left.”

Taiyang didn’t completely understand his father’s words, but he knew by now that he couldn’t stop his parents from going. He sniffled and wiped at his eyes, trying to force a wet smile on his face. “Okay, Dad,” he relented in the happiest tone he could muster. His parents were leaving to go save people, he couldn't be selfish. And he couldn't make them worry about him while he was safe and there was nothing to be worried about. “Call before you come back home. Violet and I will make dinner!”

Hong chuckled and ruffled Taiyang’s hair, his soft smile back on his face. “That’s my little sun dragon. If you use what you’re given, you’ll figure out how to get what you want.”

\

/

“Could you possibly try to be a _little_ quieter?” Raven asked in a harsh tone.

Taiyang thought it was a little more harsh than necessary, but each unto their own. “I’m not even making that much noise,” he protested. “Your yelling is bound to bring more attention to where we are than my sneaking.” He knew that he was prodding the bear a bit with his response, but he figured out very quickly that for now this was the only way to carry a conversation with his new partner. He couldn't help it if he was eager to get to know her.

Even through the sharp bite that had so far laced all her words, Taiyang was in awe of the woman walking in front of him. Not only was Raven an excellent fighter, but she was also just as breathtakingly beautiful as she was strong willed. She didn't seem like the kind of person who would let anyone walk all over her, and Taiyang couldn't help but admire her for it. If this was going to be his partner for the next four years, he really was going to love his time at Beacon.  For now, Taiyang would accept that maybe Raven didn't want to get to know _him_ yet. It wouldn't be for lack of him trying though. It reminded him somewhat of the time he got a toy stuck in a tree when he was a kid. He may have ended up with a broken arm, but he eventually got the toy down. Maybe, like that instance, he just needed to keep trying.

It couldn't have been more than twenty minutes since they left the clearing and the ruins behind. Raven was leading them southward, back towards the cliff where Ozpin and Seolfor were waiting. She kept the pace brisk, obviously wanting to get back quickly. Taiyang didn't see a reason to rush. They had been the first ones to grab the relics, and they hadn't heard that Grimm roar since they left the temple behind.

Raven’s eventual response was snappish. “I wouldn't have to yell if you were _actually_ sneaking.”

Taiyang pouted like he was hurt, but in all honesty he was enjoying the exchange. He felt that Raven was a little bit more abrasive than she needed to be, but he was confident that it wasn't entirely his fault. It might not even entirely be her fault. He would take what he had to and give her the benefit of the doubt -at the very least to make their partnership go smoothly. Maybe she was used to fighting for everything. He didn't know a thing about her yet. Perhaps once they did get to know each other, she would ease off of him.

“Fine,” he relented after a drawn out silence, more than willing to take the first step towards the high road. “I’m not good at sneaking.”

“Or being quiet in general,” came a flat observation from behind him. Taiyang had almost forgotten that Raven’s brother and his partner were walking with them. They were both reasonably silent in their movements, and didn't seem to feel the need to talk at all.

Taiyang would be the first to admit that he had no idea what that was like. “I’m not good at sneaking,” he repeated after Qrow’s input, “but I’d be willing to learn if you would help me get better.”

Raven seemed at a loss for words. Or, Taiyang assumed so from how long it took her to answer. But he wasn't really sure. Maybe she was actually plotting his death.

“You shouldn't have to learn something as simple as that at this point in your training,” she eventually said. Her voice still held a little sting, but it wasn't a ‘no’ so Taiyang was going to count it as a success. Too bad he didn't know when to keep his mouth shut.

“Yeah, that information must have _snuck_ by me when I was younger.”

He had to jump out of the way to avoid Raven’s swinging fist. It was very well aimed, Taiyang was impressed. “We’re being stalked by an unknown Grimm and you’re making jokes?” she snapped in disbelief, whatever small amount of progress he had made evaporating.

Well if she thought that he couldn't make a joke out of any situation, she had another thing coming. They had four years to work on their partnership, no reason to rush. Taiyang deftly stepped out of her reach, placing Qrow and Summer in between him and his own partner. Qrow looked like he would really rather be any place else, while Summer was giving him a hard stare from under her hood, like she knew exactly what he was going to do. Taiyang looked at Raven between their shoulders. “So would you call this a ‘grim’ situation then, or-?”

Raven snarled as she lunged for him, but Qrow and Summer each grabbed one of her arms and held her back. Taiyang was doubled over, laughing at his own joke while Raven struggled to get free.

“Come on, you two,” Summer tried to placate, having a hard time preventing the taller woman from breaking out of her grip. “Initiation is almost done. Then all we have is team assignments before we can get to the dorms and relax.”

Qrow was also trying to help, in his own way. “Murder isn’t the answer, Rae. We can’t get kicked out on our first day.”

Taiyang looked up just in time to catch the daggers that Raven was shooting at him with her eyes. Their crimson color made the stare a little more intimidating, but he couldn't let her know that. There had to be a sense of humor in there somewhere, right? No one could be this angry all the time, and Taiyang was determined to prove it.

Eventually Raven calmed down enough for Summer and Qrow to feel that it was safe to let her go. She haughtily straightened the top of her combat uniform and threw Taiyang another glare before turning around and continuing on down their path.

“Do you have a death wish?” Qrow asked as Taiyang made his way to follow her.

Taiyang shrugged like he hadn’t just had his life threatened. “I’m just getting to know my partner,” he said with a grin.

Qrow’s responding look was withering. “All you’re going to get to know is the pointy end of her sword if you keep it up.”

“You don’t know that,” Taiyang scoffed. He lengthened his stride to catch up with Raven, hearing Qrow’s, “he’s going to die,” spoken to his own partner behind him.

Summer’s quiet response was admonishing. “Don’t be so pessimistic.”

They lapsed into silence again, but Taiyang was buzzing with energy. Initiation was almost over. He had a better partner than he could have hoped for, and soon he would get to know his team. They just had to make it out of this forest.

“How much farther?” he asked Raven, falling in step with her.

She didn’t even look at him.

Taiyang’s mouth twitched from a barely hidden smile, but he managed to school his expression into a frown. “Okay, so pretty far then,” he answered his own question for her.

They continued walking for a little bit longer, and Taiyang wracked his brain for something else, anything else, to talk about. He was pretty sure that he saw a theme emerging, but maybe he could find a topic of conversation that would spark Raven’s interest.

“So where are you and your brother from?” he tried.

“None of your business,” she all but growled back.

Alright, she was a private person. Taiyang could respect that.

“You fight very well,” he said, changing tactics.

“I know,” was her curt reply.

Most people would label that as arrogance, but Taiyang liked the word ‘confidence’ better. It suited her and her obvious skill. But still not a conversation starter, apparently.

 _Third time’s the charm_ , he thought. “Your weapon’s pretty cool. What do you call it?”

Almost an entire minute passed before Raven responded. “Chimera.” She paused a beat before adding, “The sheath lets me change the kind of blade. I thought it fit.”

More than a few brusque words, Taiyang thought that he might be getting somewhere. He eagerly took a step towards her, eyes wide. “That’s awesome! What kind of blades do you have? How does it work?”

He cursed himself for his enthusiasm as soon as Raven narrowed her eyes and turned away from him. “Not as many as I’d like,” was all she said, and Taiyang was back to square one.

He let out a quiet sigh and retreated away from his partner a couple steps. It wasn't his intent to make her uncomfortable. He was just happy that she was willing to talk to him. But it looked like hw would have to try a different approach if he ever wanted to keep a conversation going.

“Do you guys hear that?” Summer’s abrupt words pulled everyone to a sudden stop. Their attention shifted initially to her, and then to their surroundings. They had just entered an area where the trees thinned out, beginning to give way to rocky soil to their left and dense forest once again in any other direction. At first Taiyang had no idea what had grabbed Summer’s attention, but then he heard it; the soft whistling of feathers cutting through wind.

The screeching call that had been haunting their entire morning sounded off again from directly above them, shattering the previous silence. Taiyang looked up to see the silhouetted form of a winged, four-legged Grimm circling overhead. He immediately recognized the creature.

“There’s going to be more,” he said outloud, clenching his fists. “They travel in herds.”

Summer took a slow-moving step backwards, towards the denser cluster of trees. “We should try to lose it in the woods,” she said, her voice eerily calm. “Try to get back to the cliff as quickly as we can. They’ll stay away from the school.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Taiyang saw Raven’s face flood with disbelief. “We’re running?” He could already tell that there was no way that she would turn away from this fight. Not after how embarrassed she had been after that Hartless landed a kick on her. Qrow had already pulled out his weapon again, obviously of the same mindset as she was. The Branwen twins were apparently not taught to flee from a fight.

“Griffons are a lot smarter than Beowolves and a lot more persistent than a Deathstalker,” Summer explained. “And they’re stronger than they look. If we don't have to go against them, then we won't.”

“Looks like it's too late for that,” Qrow said, just as Taiyang yelled, “ _Incoming_!”

The Griffon abruptly pulled its wings close to its body and dove straight for them, talons extended.

 

\----------

  


The Griffon slammed against Raven’s sword, pushing her back a few feet at the impact. Qrow had seen her draw her weapon lightning fast, one gloved hand holding the hilt tight while the other was flat against the back of the blade. He could see the deep red glow of her aura working so that she wouldn't slice her own hand off, the energy pulsating as she pushed back against the Grimm with a snarl etched onto her face.

The Griffon gripped the blade of her sword with it’s front claws, snapping at Raven’s face with a razor-sharp beak. It was just shy of actually reaching her, but Qrow could already tell that if they didn't act quickly it would adjust.

Summer was the first one to leap forward, a flurry of white petals chasing a blur of movement that slid right under the Griffon’s exposed belly. A deep red cut appeared just before Summer did, crouching with her swords drawn just far enough away that the Grimm couldn't lash out at her.

The Griffon let out a piercing roar before it took off into the sky.

Raven stumbled forward a step at the loss of resistance, but caught herself quickly. Qrow’s known her long enough that he could see on her face that she wanted to make a comment on the creature’s cowardice, but she never got the chance. Two more landed directly behind her.

Qrow lept between his sister and one of the Griffons, knowing that his sister wasn't prepared for the attack whether she would admit it or not. Next to him Taiyang stood between Raven and the other, and the two of them blocked the Grimms’ attacks until they too took to the air.

Qrow turned around to take stock of their situation -not great- in time to see another Griffon land in the middle of their little group and let out an ear-splitting shriek.

“Don’t let them separate us!” Summer ordered, darting forward to slash at the Grimm’s lashing tail. Her blow didn't  land. The Grimm beat its large wings and rose out of reach quickly.

Qrow looked up the sky, watching the four Griffons circling above them and waiting for a chance to strike. “I think that now would be a good time to head for the trees,” he admitted, silently regretting that they hadn’t listened to Summer right off.

Even Raven nodded in agreement with his words, though she looked like she hated every second of it.

Taiyang was the first to make a move towards cover, but immediately had to dodge and retreat as two of the Griffons swooped down and took a few swipes at him. “I don’t think they like that plan,” he told them.

“They’re trying to herd us towards the rocks,” Summer realized out loud.

Qrow saw his sister scowl, but she didn't say anything. He looked around and realized that Summer was right. They were getting pushed back, away from the trees and onto the looser soil. He’d bet anything that eventually the ground this way would give way to a steep cliff.

“Maybe we should give them what they want then,” Taiyang supplied.

Qrow shot a glare at the blond, but Summer spoke before he could. “It’ll mean less cover for us.”

Her tone sounded more like it held careful consideration than admonishment, and Qrow turned his head to look at his partner, surprised. Hadn’t she been against the whole fight initially?

Somewhere in the attack Summer’s hood had fallen down, once again giving Qrow a clear view of her fevered silver eyes. She had a look of pure exhilaration on her face, and he thought back to the fight with the Ursa only a short while ago. She had the same excited air radiating off of her then, too.

Qrow decided that his partner might be crazy, but if she wanted to fight then who was he to stop her? “Less cover for them too,” he supplied helpfully.

“What are we waiting for then?” Raven snapped. Funny enough, her eagerness to fight wasn't as much of a surprise to Qrow.

One of the four Griffons above dove down, aiming a warning blow at the group, but they were ready for it. Qrow lashed out with his sword, the blade glancing off of the Grimm’s extended talons. It cried out in frustration, but the group was already out of reach, heading towards the open area and maybe their doom. Qrow hadn’t decided yet.

The loose rocky soil underneath their feet quickly gave way to hard stone. It was a welcome change. The kind of footing that Qrow was used to fighting on. The soft forest floor hadn't been too much of a hinderance, but it was unfamiliar.

“Don’t let them isolate you,” Summer instructed, “stay with your partner.” They slowed down to a stop, the Griffons overshooting them and wheeling back around over a deep canyon.

Qrow had been right. A little over 50 feet in front of them the gray stone underfoot gave way to a jagged-looking cliff. The canyon before them was littered with natural stone columns and plateaus, structures that were carved out by an ancient river long gone now. Some looked relatively stable from this distance. Others… not as much. Probably not the best place for a fight, but they didn’t have much of a choice now.

The Griffons had caught back up with them. All four of the creatures landed, surrounding the group. The one with the slice on its stomach stepped forward and roared directly in Summer’s face. It’s wound was now weeping tendrils of black mist that curled around it’s body and dissipated upwards into the air. Qrow didn't really feel bad for the Grimm, but it still looked like it hurt.

“I think he likes you,” Qrow said to his partner, darting his gaze between her and the Griffon that had landed directly in front of him.

He thought he saw a smile lift Summer’s cheeks just as the Griffon lunged.

It must have been a signal for the others because the remaining three attacked all at once, and suddenly Qrow had his hands full and had to take his attention off of his partner to concentrate on keeping himself alive.

His Griffon went for him with its beak, aiming for his left side. Qrow dodged to the right and was rewarded with a smack on the side of the head from the Grimm’s bone-spiked tail. Trying to shake off the ringing in his ears, Qrow messily swung his broadsword forward while the Griffon was turning back around, managing to land a blow on one of its rear legs. The damage was superficial, but he did succeed in pissing the thing off.

The Griffon reared, front legs raised in preperation, its intent to bring its claws crashing down on him all too clear. Qrow stumbled backwards and raised his sword, ready for the impact of the entire weight of the Grimm to come crashing down on him, but it never did.

An unusual weightlessness overcame him, one that Qrow typically associated with flying. He opened his eyes, unsure of when he had closed them, to see the world blurring past. Briefly the void of the canyon flashed past below him, until he was jerked to a stop on top of one of the sturdier stone columns. Qrow fell to his knees among a flurry of white petals and black feathers  at the abrupt loss of momentum. Next to him, Summer stumbled a bit but stayed on her feet.

“Wow,” she said, sounding astonished. “That usually makes me pass out.”

Qrow pushed himself to his feet, head clearer now thanks to the rush of air from the flight. When he recalled seeing his partner zip around with a trail of rose petals in her wake he became a lot less confused, but a little more concerned. “And knowing that, you decided to launch us over a thousand foot drop.”

She looked at him with an honest smile on her face. “We lived, didn't we? You must be my lucky charm.”

The irony of her words left Qrow speechless. By the time his brain caught back up, Summer was already turned around looking back towards the fight. Raven and Taiyang were holding their own against the Griffons, keeping their backs to a protruding rock. It probably wouldn't last very long, but they had the Grimm distracted for now.

“If we can lure them into the canyon…” Summer trailed off, looking down over the edge of the rock spur they were standing on.

Qrow made the decision to let her previous comment drop for now and joined her, following her gaze down to the floor of the canyon hundreds of feet below them. The drop was intimidating, even if he knew that he could easily shift forms if he fell. “What would getting them over here do?” he prompted his partner, failing to see her train of thought.

Summer pointed towards a couple more columns of stone, these looking considerably less stable than the one they were currently standing on. “If we can get them under those, we might  be able to knock them loose and bury the Griffons under the falling stones.”

Qrow looked closer at the precarious piles of stone. “And us with them,” he commented darkly. Then, “Raven and I _might_ be able to get them to chase us, but Grimm don't usually go after animals.”

He could practically _see_ the questions dancing in Summer’s eyes, but she didn't voice any of them in favor of the problem at hand. “They’ll chase you if you bother them enough,” she said with certainty, “just be careful. If you can get back over there and let Taiyang and your sister know what we plan to do, I’ll get the Griffons’ attention and have them start heading this way. I saw Taiyang’s landing. Messy, but perfect for what we need.”

Summer pointed once again towards the unstable columns. “Tell him to aim for the center one, and to break the rocks, not his neck.”

Qrow took a moment to mentally go over the plan, but quickly agreed that it was their best option. “Alright.You be careful too,” he told her before shifting. He let out a caw before racing across the open gorge.

Raven and Taiyang looked a little worn out and frustrated by the time he got to them. It was obvious that the Griffons were just toying with them. His sister and her partner had picked a good spot to back into. A couple of boulders created a narrow enough space that only two of the Griffons could reach them at a time. But when one backed up to dodge a blow, another would take its place and strike back. Qrow was glad that Summer had a plan.

He shifted back right behind the Griffons, sword already out and slashing before he even touched the ground. The Griffons scattered, momentarily surprised by his sudden appearance. Before they could collect themselves and land again to renew their attack, the bark of a dust round being fired rang through the canyon.

It hit a wing of one of the Griffons above his head, impacting with a small explosion. It caused the Grimm to momentarily lose altitude, but it caught itself and rose back up to the others.

All four Griffons shifted their attention to the rock column he had just came from, and the woman on top of it pointing a sniper rifle directly at them. Qrow had to move fast if he wanted to put the plan in motion before Summer was torn apart.

Raven and Taiyang were catching their breath when he approached. “Summer has a plan to end this,” he told them.

Raven scoffed. “Is it getting herself killed?” she asked with a nod towards the herd of Grimm heading towards the small figure in the middle of the canyon.

“No,” Qrow scowled, “she can handle herself.” He looked at Taiyang, pointing at the unstable rock columns that were the backbone of the entire plan. “Summer said that you’d be able to knock those down?”

Taiyang looked at the columns, his eyes lighting up in anticipation. “Yeah I can,” he boasted, pounding his gauntleted fists together eagerly.

Qrow nodded. “Great. Wait until the Grimm are practically on top of them.” He turned to Raven as he added, “It’s our job to get them there.”

Raven took a deep breath and sheathed her sword. “I don’t like this plan,” she informed him.

Qrow rolled his eyes as he turned away from her. “You don’t like it because you didn't come up with it.” The Griffons were now circling above Summer, and she was barely managing to keep them there by shooting at whichever one decided to try and get closer.

Raven’s only response was a short huff of breath before she shifted mid-stride and flew out towards the Grimm with powerful wing-strokes.

Following suit, Qrow caught up with her quickly. They circled the Grimm a few times, looking for an opening to begin their distraction. A miniscule tilt of their wings and they were each diving towards a different Grimm.

Qrow went to scratch at the eyes of one, his claws uselessly scraping against the creature’s bone mask. He dodged out of the way of a snapping jaw and plucked a feather from the wing of another. He twirled a bit in a showy manner, feeling confident up until he decided to peck at the wound on the belly of the Griffon that Summer had previously injured.

A deafening roar preceded the hot breath on his tail and the razor-sharp beak that just barely missed his left wing. He pulled his wings in and dropped in a high-speed dive, and the chase was on.

Raven leveled out next to him, their wings flapping synchronously as they struggled to stay ahead of their pursuers. Qrow caught glimpses of stray shots firing to his left and right, and he quickly realized that Summer was purposely shooting wide to keep the Griffons in a tighter group.

The creatures were clawing and kicking to get ahead of one another as they chased the twins, truly frustrated. It worked perfectly for their plan. Qrow and Raven aimed for the unstable columns, heading straight towards the one in the center.

Taiyang was already perched precariously on top of it, waiting for them to get close enough.

Qrow knew that as soon as the rocks began falling, he and his sister would have a limited amount of time to escape

With any luck, the Griffons would have none.

Raven let out a throaty croak, and Qrow readied himself to angle upwards. The gray stone was approaching fast. The Griffons behind them realized too late the mistake they had made in their blind rage. Qrow heard the snapping of wings as the creatures unsuccessfully tried to pull back.

In a single, practiced movement, Qrow and Raven changed course, flying at first straight up, then looping back overtop the Grimm to get as far away from the collapsing column as they could.

Taiyang was ready. Right before the Griffons impacted with the stone, he slammed a fist down on the top of his column, making the whole thing shake and crumble. Qrow was too busy dodging flying rocks to truly appreciate the sight, but the shrieking screams behind him said that the Griffons were no longer having a good day.

A burst of heat underneath him showed Taiyang rocketing back toward the safe ledge where all this had started. Summer was already there, and Qrow shifted before touching down among the dissipating cloud of white petals. Raven landed beside him, immediately turning around to see the fruits of their labor.

The Griffon’s cries and the roaring of avalanching stone still echoed through the canyon. The air was filled with dust, but as it settled and silence blanketed the forest once more, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. All of the Griffons seemed to have been buried under the rocks. They took a moment to let their success sink in.

Taiyang was the first to speak, after collapsing dramatically onto his back. “I never thought that I would ever say this, but can we go back to school now?”

 

\----------

 

"Qrow Branwen, Raven Branwen, Summer Rose, and Taiyang Xaio Long."  
Each of them stood up a little bit straighter when Professor Ozpin called their name. Summer noticed that even Raven, who so far hasn't keep secret her distaste for any given situation, looked just as proud and determined as the rest of them for having passed initiation.

Looking out at the faces of her fellow students, Summer felt a knot of anxiety form in her stomach. She knew it was unfounded. She had just as much of a right to be here as any one of them did. She trained and fought hard so that she could be standing on this stage right now, with her new teammates. She was going to try her best. Summer tilted her head down a little more, further covering her face with her hood.

Maybe her best would even be enough.

"The four of you will come together to form team STRQ." The headmaster’s pause was drawn out as he met Summer's gaze. She felt like his eyes were seeing into the deepest parts of her, and she idly wondered what he saw. "Led by Summer Rose," Ozpin finally finished.  
Though the auditorium was filled with applause and Summer showcased a bright smile, she felt as though a tight band had just been wrapped around her chest.

A glance at her new teammates eased the sensation a little, but she knew it would take a while for the feeling to ebb completely. But Taiyang was giving her a thumbs up and a big grin, while Raven's expression held more of a contentment to wait and see how she would do. Hopefully she was just imagining the hard anger tightening the lines of her face.

When Summer looked at her partner, Qrow rolled his eyes at the ceremony of it all, making her smile shift into something more natural. She found that she was overjoyed with her team. She was glad that Raven had been smart enough to figure out the riddle in the keys. Happy that the four of them could work so well together. The idea of being team leader was daunting, but considering that they’ve already fought two battles together, it couldn't be that bad.  
"So you're basically babysitting for the next for years," Qrow joked dryly as they dismounted the stage. Ozpin was announcing the next team, but the four of them were no longer paying much attention to what was going on behind them.   
Taiyang laughed. "Yeah, good luck keeping the twins in li-" His words were cut off with a yelp as he managed to trip over a spare microphone stand at the bottom of the steps, landing on his face.   
Summer watched Qrow scowl and Raven throw him a smirk. She shook her head in her own amusement before helping Taiyang up. “Let’s find our bags and our dorm room,” she suggested. “I think we all deserve some rest after the day we’ve had. Classes start on Monday, so we have all weekend to get settled in.”

The other three groaned at the mention of classes. Summer jumped ahead and turned around to face them. “Come on, guys. We’re learning how to fight Grimm. We’re going to study something that we’ve already proven that we can do. How hard could the next four years be?”


	5. Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sincerely apologize for the delay in this chapter. Work stuff and depression stuff decided to team up to kick my ass this past month. But chapter 5 is finally here. I'm hoping to get on back on a regular update schedule, but maybe this close to the holidays isnt the time to set that goal... I guess we'll see what happens.

 

 

 

“A person can’t change all at once.”

― Stephen King, _The Stand_

  


“I can’t believe they’re going to be late.”

“Yes you can.”

Summer turned to glare at her teammate. Raven answered the look with a raised eyebrow, but otherwise leveled her with a blank expression. Elbow on the table, chin propped up in her hand, she looked like the perfect image of unaffected indifference. The dark circles under her eyes threw the impression off a bit, but Summer had already been callously snapped at when she asked about it earlier. She didn't want to pry too much and make the other girl’s already fragile tolerance crumble completely.

So instead Summer sighed and returned her eyes to the classroom door. Their first class of the day started at nine am. Entirely feasible for a Monday morning, except that it was five minutes to, and the seats she and Raven were saving for the guys still sat empty.

Summer had made the decision to get up a little early that morning. She wanted to make sure that she had plenty of time to grab breakfast before class, and she assumed correctly that navigating the academic buildings for the first time would be harder than everyone thought. Beacon had a deceptively sprawling campus hidden up on its mountain.

She was surprised when she woke up to discover that Raven was already awake, and even more surprised that the other girl agreed to go to the dining hall with her. She however was not shocked when Taiyang and Qrow both refused to get up and out of bed until they absolutely had to. Summer didn't get the impression that any of her teammates were morning people, if she was being honest.

They had only really spent a little over two days together, but already she was getting a feel for how they worked. And Raven was entirely right in saying that she could absolutely believe that the guys were going to be late. “I can’t believe I didn't make them leave with us,” Summer amended her words.

Raven forced a breath out her nose. Possibly a laugh, but Summer couldn't be sure. “Probably would have been the smart choice,” she supplied in a dry tone.

Summer sighed and cast her a half-hearted glance. “Not very helpful,” she grumbled quietly.

The rest of the class was mostly there, a few familiar faces scattered around the room. There was no sign of their instructor yet. The class, Grimm Studies, was taught by Professor Seolfor. It was bound to be an interesting class, if what Summer had seen of the deputy headmaster so far was anything to go by. The class TA, a mousy-haired fourth year that her schedule said was named Peter Port, was already sitting in the front of the room. He didn't seem inclined to bring the class to order just yet.

The low rumble of conversation hid the noise of the door bursting open. Both Summer and Raven were facing that way though, and couldn't miss the blond-headed form of Taiyang slinking through the rows of tables to where they were sitting in the front. Qrow was nowhere to be seen, and Taiyang had a huge grin on his face. Summer couldn't help but feel like those two things were related.

“Where’s my brother?” Raven beat her to the question.

Taiyang set his bag on the table as he slid into the set on the other side of Raven, his smile not wavering at all despite his partner’s hostile tone. “Powdering his nose,” he managed to get out before dissolving into a fit of laughter.

Raven glared at him for a moment before turning to Summer, but Summer was just as confused as she was and could only offer a shrug in response. She hoped that her partner would get here before class started, but the TA was finally getting to his feet and it looked like that wasn't going to happen.

“Settle down,” Peter told them, though to Summer he sounded amused, like he didn't expect them to listen at all. “I know you’re _excited_ to learn. Professor Seolfor will be here any moment.” He paused, looking over the gathered first year students. “You know, this reminds me of _my_ first day at Beacon-”

The buzz of conversation only died down minimally. The TA eagerly launched into a story that no one was really listening to. Summer felt bad for not paying attention, but the classroom door was opening again.

Relief made her smile. Qrow all but stumbled into the room, pulling up short as soon as he was through the doorway. He blinked owlishly as the entire class finally grew quiet, heads turning, eyes landing on him.

Summer covered her mouth with a hand at the sight of him, doing her best to school her expression into something neutral. A series of strangled snickers told her that Taiyang was barely making an attempt, and Raven _choked_.

Qrow, standing by the door, was wearing a plaid skirt. The girl’s school uniform was short on him, showcasing his long legs. Taiyang’s laughter when he had come in made perfect sense now.

Summer leaned around Raven. “What did you do?” she whispered loudly to Taiyang so she could be heard. By this point, the class was full of snickers and giggles that were slowly growing in volume.

Taiyang theatrically wiped a tear from his eye. “I told him it was a kilt,” he managed through his laughter. “He’s never worn a school uniform before.”

Summer gave him an admonishing glare, but she was having a hard time keeping a look of amusement of her own off her face. It was an innocent enough prank, but she had the inkling notion that it wouldn't end at this.

For his part, Qrow wasn't outwardly revealing any embarrassment he might be feeling. He had gotten over his initial shock pretty quick, and was now flashing a cocky smirk at anyone who would meet his eyes. He _sauntered_ down the steps toward the front of the room, heading for where his team was sitting. Whether it was false or not, his confidence in dealing with the situation impressed her.

Summer watched her partner stop mid-step as he was passing the poor TA. Peter looked like he was in pain, and the way Qrow’s smirk grew said that he was going to make it worse. Qrow brought a foot up onto the desk, bare leg directly in front of the shorter guy’s face. “Like what you see?” he asked in a lewd tone.

The classroom erupted into a raucous roar of laughter. Red-faced, the TA turned away and quickly walked toward the office at the front of the room, disappearing behind the heavy door. Self-satisfied smirk decorating his face, Qrow put his foot back on the ground and made his way to the empty seat between Summer and Raven. Summer caught the look on his face turn dangerous moments before it was directed at Taiyang. The blond didn't seem to be too bothered, but Summer thought that maybe she should defuse the situation before it escalated.

Unfortunately, her teammates were apparently looking for a fight.

“Don’t we look pretty,” Raven goaded. Even Summer could tell she was instigating.

“I don’t know, Rae,” Qrow bit back mockingly, crossing his legs for effect, “I think I wear it better than you.”

Summer jumped in before the glares that the twins were shooting at each other turned into physical blows. “That’s enough, you two,” she said quietly. “Professor Seolfor is here. Class is starting.”

Taiyang’s amusement had died down to the occasional soft snort, but he had his notebook out and open and was looking towards the front of the room. Raven wore a delighted expression, the most emotion Summer had seen on her face in the past three days. It figures that it was a result of ridiculing her brother.

“Are you okay?” Summer asked her partner quietly. He didn't look mad, just disgruntled and a little upset.

Qrow scoffed, and Summer watched him all but physically brush off any lingering embarrassment. “Peachy,” he replied dryly. “Also, I’m writing Taiyang’s eulogy. Should his team leader be the one to read it at his funeral, or his partner?”

Summer shook her head, giving him a small smile. “No killing your teammates. It’s a rule.”

He sneered distastefully. “A rule? Since when?” His words held none of the hostility that was in his expression.

“Since I decided just now,” she said, “and also murder is illegal so there’s that too.” Summer pulled out one of her extra notebooks and slid it to her partner, noticing that he hadn't brought anything to class with him.

“Semantics,” he replied flippantly, accepting the notebook but not bothering to open it.

Summer bit her lip, but decided not to comment on it. They were all adults, and she knew nothing of her teammates’ study habits. Day three of being a team was probably not the time to tell anyone what to do. So she turned to her own notebook and started writing down the list of study topics Professor Seolfor was rattling off.

 

The first class of the year wasn’t too bad. Summer actually enjoyed it. The subject, Grimm Studies, was already an interesting topic, but the fact that it was Professor Seolfor teaching them made her look forward to it even more. Unfortunately, the rest of her team didn't seem to share her sentiments.

“ _Please_ tell me that we have some type of sparring class today,” Taiyang bemoaned as soon as the hour and a half was up and they were released. “I can’t deal with all this boring classroom shit. I want to hit something.”

Putting her things in her bag, Summer shook her head at his dramatic tone. “This is our first class of the week,” she replied, “we have three more like it just today. Sparring classes are Tuesdays and Thursdays this semester.”

Taiyang groaned loudly as the four of them made their way out of the classroom. “That’s so not fair.”

“Do you have our whole schedule _memorized_?” Raven asked, ignoring the theatrics of her partner.

“Yes.” Summer was weary of the other girl’s challenging tone. She was coming to realize that Raven might give her some problems, at least for a little while. It didn't seem like she was used to taking orders any more than Summer herself was used to giving them. “Do any of you guys know where we’re supposed to go next?” she asked her teammates.

She got blank stares in return.

Summer sighed. _That_ is why she had it memorized. “Chrysocolla Hall, room 139. We have Basic Dust Engineering in an hour.”

Taiyang and Qrow groaned at the same time. They looked at each other, Taiyang bursting into a fit of laughter at Qrow’s hard glare.

“I’m going to change,” Qrow growled out.

Summer pulled her hood up so that her partner couldn't see her amused smile. He was taking the prank gracefully so far, she didn't want to irritate him further. “Okay. Don’t be late to class. And don’t forget, after our last class this afternoon, I want to have a training session. Since we don’t have a sparring class today, we can use it to start to get a feel for each other’s fighting styles and strengths.”

The twins muttered out some type of response before they both quickly disappeared into the crowd.

“I can’t believe you did that,” Summer said as soon as they were out of earshot.

“Oh, come on,” Taiyang snorted, “That was amazing. Even Raven laughed. I didn't know that she could do that.” He continued to chuckle to himself as he followed her out of the building, giving no indication that he planned on heading in his own direction. “Also, I’m pretty sure Qrow made that TA cry.”

She laughed a little bit at that. “You’re both horrible. Now come on, I want to check out the library.”

“Ugh, more books?” Taiyang groaned, but trailed after her anyways. “What about lunch?”

“We’ll grab something quick before class, don’t worry,” Summer assured him. “I’m going to make the team dinner tonight. The floor’s kitchen in the dorm doesn’t look half bad. Remind me to tell the other two.”

 

\----------

 

Raven watched her team leader dial Qrow on her scroll for the third time. Summer sighed in frustration as the call rang through to voicemail again, and it was all Raven could do to hide her smirk.

She wasn't surprised that Qrow disappeared. Shocked that it took as long as it did, but perhaps the girls in Vale had higher standards. Personally, she couldn’t care less what her brother did in his spare time. She really didn't _want_ to know what he was doing. She hasn't been sleeping well lately, and all she wanted to do was curl up in her bed. But, Raven did have to admit that it was extremely amusing to watch Summer get progressively more annoyed the closer the sun inched towards the horizon.

It was clear to her that Summer wasn't used to being any kind of leader. Wasn’t used to having people beneath her to lead, or even possessing the ability to tell anyone what they should be doing. Raven didn't even try to suppress a sneer every time she watched the other girl stumble through her newfound responsibilities, knowing that she could do better. She was supposed to be chieftain of an _entire tribe_ by now. It was only their third day of being a team, but seeing Summer struggle with leading three people was almost insulting.

“Hey Raven!”

And then there was her own partner.

Raven sighed and closed her eyes, contemplating just ignoring him. She could _feel_ his gaze burning into her back as he stared, waiting for her attention. She turned around and fixed the blond with a glare of her own. “What?” she snapped.

Taiyang remained unfazed, flashing her an eager grin. He was standing before her in a defensive stance, his weight evenly distributed and fists held up and ready in front of his face. It was actually a competent position, not that she would ever tell him that.

“Come spar with me!” he invited eagerly, bouncing a little on the balls of his feet.  Raven noticed that his gauntlets weren’t on his hands. He was seriously asking to box with her.

She had managed to evade any direct interactions with the blond all weekend. Though the stunt that he had pulled in class this morning was hilarious, the over-active puppy routine that he had immediately returned to grated on her nerves. No single human being had any right to be this animated and cheerful all the time. He was obviously bored with waiting around for Summer to find Qrow, and apparently he thought that sparring with her was an acceptable way to amuse himself.

His lack of self discipline was upsetting, but perhaps more upsetting was the tenacity plastered onto his face. Like he actually thought that he would present her with a challenge.

Raven made a snap decision and turned away from him, ignoring the noise of protest that he made.

She walked over to one of the rickety wooden benches on the side of the sparring patch they had claimed for the evening and set Chimera on it. She didn't want it in the way while she kicked his ass -it was time that she and her partner established some ground rules- but there was no way she was just going to toss the sword on the ground. Taiyang’s gauntlets were laying in the grass under the bench and Raven scowled, wondering if he had even an ounce of actual intelligence. The sparring patches were made of deep beds of sand that could wreak havoc on the mechanics of a weapon if it wasn't cleaned out properly afterwards. She doubted that her partner would take the time to care for them.

Not that it was her problem. Summer was the leader, after all. Let her take care of his incompetencies.

Raven returned to the center of the sparring patch, stopping in front of Taiyang. She mirrored his pose, minus the childish bouncing and minor ineptitudes. He seemed to have recovered from his earlier disappointment. As soon as she settled into her own stance, Raven watched her partner shed his callowness like it was simply a second skin he wore. A serious look replaced his broad smile, though she could still see the residue of it shining from his blue eyes.

They circled each other with careful steps, learning how the ground shifted beneath their feet so that it wouldn't surprise them later. Raven was the first to find an opening, almost ashamed that she was excited for the fight to start. She rushed forward, aiming a punch from her right fist at his shoulder.

He deflected her blow with a well-timed kick, spinning a step or two away while she stumbled the same distance backwards before she could regain her balance. Raven turned to glare at Taiyang, and he tossed her back a grin.

She closed the distance quickly, throwing a succession of punches with as little lead up as she could manage. Taiyang blocked all of them, though he was forced to take a step backwards to do so. Raven ended the barrage with a kick that was supposed to connect with his unguarded side. He lowered his arm right as the kick landed, trapping her foot and leaving Raven standing on one leg.

The impact still winded him, and Raven was able to leap off of the ground and spin, landing another kick to the side of his head. It forced him to let go of her to catch himself, and Raven landed on her feet with her back to him. She didn't hear the expected _thud_ of a body hitting the ground, and barely managed to turn around in time to throw up an arm and block a fist that had been aiming for the back of her shoulder.

Then it was a flurry of blows from him that Raven, though she would never admit it out loud, was having a hard time blocking. A combination of kicks and punches kept her occupied as her partner placed her on the defensive, forcing her to take an occasional step backwards as he pressed his attack.

With a sickening lurch, Raven grudgingly realized that Taiyang was a much better fighter than she had given him credit for and this fight might not be hers to win. The idea of letting him know that she was actually having a hard time made her grit her teeth, but for all of the brawls she’s been in with various members of the ruthless tribe that had raised her, she hadn’t had this much of a challenge in years.

Taiyang finally slipped up when he swung a fist too wide, in an attempt to get around her guard. Raven took advantage and aggressively pressed forward until she was well within his personal space. A quick elbow to his gut had her partner doubled over. Raven managed to maneuver a kick so that it landed square against his chest, throwing him backwards.

Taiyang landed on the sand with a dull thud, sprawled out and gasping for breath. His chest heaved as he regained it, and Raven realized that even she was breathing hard after their match. Her partner had enough sense to lift a hand and uncoordinatedly wave at her as a way of signaling his surrender.

“You win,” he gasped out, letting his arm flop back down next to him. Raven approached him cautiously, unsure of the way his breath was escaping him in short, weezy huffs. She had begun to think that maybe she had actually hurt him, until she saw the smile on his face and realized that he was _laughing_.

Raven looked down at her partner, hoping that the emotion he could see on her face was disdain instead of the confusion she was really feeling. “Did you hit your head?” she asked scathingly.

“I don’t think so,” Taiyang responded in a light tone, bringing a hand up to run through his hair like he actually hand to check. “I think I’m good. I’d say that the only thing you wounded was my pride, but I’m not even mad. That was fucking awesome.”

Raven rolled her eyes at the compliment, but offered her partener a hand in getting up. It was only good sportsmanship. “You just got your ass handed to you, how are you cool with that?”

Taiyang took her offered hand and began to pull himself up. “You can handle my ass any time you want,” he replied in a tone that was obviously meant to be suave.

Raven immediately released her grip on his hand, letting Taiyang crash back to the ground. “Never say that again,” she told him, her voice as deadpan as her face.

Taiyang had landed again with an audible _ompfh_ , but began laughing as soon as he looked up at her expression. “Oh come on, Rae. I’m joking!”

Raven ignored him and walked wordlessly toward the bench where her weapon was, leaving her partner to scramble to his feet himself.

Summer had apparently abandoned her attempts at reaching Qrow. She was sitting on the bench next to Chimera, no scroll in sight. She offered Raven a smile as she approached. “You fight really well,” she said in a way that was obviously meant to be warm and friendly.

Raven didn’t even offer her a cursory glance. “I know.” Why did everyone have to point out her own skill to her? Like she wasn't aware of her own competence?

“You too, Tai,” Summer said in a tight voice, evidently ignoring Raven’s curt response.

Taiyang’s response was a little more personable. “Thanks!” He sounded beyond happy at the compliment, even though he had lost the fight. It was like he thrived on the validation alone. “Did you see when I trapped Raven’s leg?” he continued excitedly. “I almost had her. And that cool spin move that she did to get loose?” He turned to Raven before adding, “you have _got_ to teach me that move.”

Raven was briefly flattered that he wanted to learn from her, but she pushed down the feeling quickly in favor of the confusion and frustration she felt at his attitude. She was _furious_ with herself for almost losing that fight. Taiyang _did_ lose, and he didn't seem bothered. And Summer was feeding into it all by complimenting his failure. Raven didn't know what to make of it. She knew that people raised inside the kingdoms had different customs than what she and her brother grew up around, but she didn't expect that they would be _this_ different. Especially when it came to fighting. She figured that winning was winning, no matter where you were.

“Why are you so happy?” Raven asked incredulously. “You lost.”

“Raven-” Summer started, but Raven waved her off as she turned to look at Taiyang. He was looking back at her in mild confusion.

“Because that was an amazing fight,” he told her, gaze unwavering as he returned her stare. “Yeah, I lost. But we’re here to train and get better. You were incredible, and the fact that you’re my partner makes me the luckiest guy alive because I can learn from you how to not lose. You’re obviously really good at it.”

Raven was left blinking dumbly at his words for a moment, before she returned to her senses and hardened her glare once again. He was right. They still had four years before they became true Huntsmen. Plenty of time for training and getting better. And her partner did actually fight well, even if he did wind up losing. No one in the tribe would ever admit to someone that they needed help, especially someone who bested them in a fight.

_But_ , Raven reminded herself with bitter resentment, _you aren’t in the Tribe anymore, are you?_

She was saved from having to form a response by Summer, who was handing Taiyang his gauntlets. “Come on, guys. We can continue this talk inside. It’s obvious that Qrow isn’t going to show up, and I want to get dinner started anyway.”

Her team leader’s disappointment was evident in her voice, even if her hood was up and Raven couldn't see the emotion on her face. Not that she cared. Raven grabbed Chimera and made to follow. Summer was right, Qrow probably wasn't going to show up again until much later. No use in any of them waiting outside for him to decide to grace them with his presence. At least Summer was smart enough to see that.

Taiyang fell in step next to her, pulling his gauntlets on his hands. Raven watched his brow crease as he looked them over and noticed the sand that covered some of the scale-like plating. With a sense of satisfaction, Raven opened her mouth to tell him that he should really take better care of his equipment.

Unintentionally, Taiyang cut her off. His gauntlets were entirely engulfed in flames within the span of the blink of an eye. Raven watched curiously as the sand that coated them began to glow brighter than the flames themselves.

The flames died out as quickly as they lit up, and the glowing hot sand cooled rapidly in the evening air. Left behind was a patchy, paper-thin coat of glass. Taiyang slammed his fists together, smashing the glass to pieces. Raven ducked out of the way of flying shards with a glare at her partner, who only offered her a sheepish shrug in apology.

She had to admit -albeit grudgingly- it was a pretty efficient way to clean the weapons. She was curious as to how he produced the fire, though. It was too controlled for any kind of dust round, and she hadn't seen him activate any type of trigger on the gauntlets themselves.

“Your semblance is fire?” Raven asked before she could stop herself. Then immediately after, “Your gauntlets are made of bloodsteel?”

Taiyang nodded. “Yes, and not as much as your sword has,” he said, holding up a hand so she could look at the gauntlet closer, “but enough for it to work.” In between the gold-colored scale-like plates that made up the outside of the gauntlet, Raven could see an underlying layer of familiar red metal.

Bloodsteel was a unique substance that could be worked into weapons, if someone was skilled enough. It held properties that let it channel the wielder's semblance so that it could be used directly. It was obviously an invaluable asset in combat, but because of that it was a bit pricier than most other metals used in forging weapons.

Raven looked down at her own weapon. For the first time in its existence, she didn't immediately brag about how many warriors she’s struck down. How many stolen weapons went into forging her own. It didn't seem like a fitting story for the company she now held.

The idea that she was conforming herself to fit some image made her clench a fist around the hilt of her sword, but Raven still kept her mouth shut. The moment for her story passed anyway as Taiyang started talking again. She took a deep breath and released her tense muscles as she pretended like she was listening to whatever he was saying.

 

\----------

 

Qrow held every intention to open the door to the dorm room quietly. He wasn't sure why exactly he had expected it to work out that way. Not that it would have mattered. The door squeaked open slowly to reveal an empty room. All four beds were vacant, which made sneaking in that much easier.

He let out the breath he had been holding as he opened the door the rest of the way and stepped inside. His bed, to the immediate right of the large window on the far wall, was just as rumpled and haphazard as it had been that morning. Taiyang’s, between his and the wall, wasn't in much better shape. The only difference was the skirt thrown on his. Qrow had to admit, it was a funny prank, but Taiyang was going to pay for it.

The other side of the room made their side seem even worse. Raven and Summer’s beds were made up, blankets pulled taut and pillows straight. Qrow rolled his eyes, closing the door behind him before he made his way to his belongings. Of course his partner would be a neat freak, just like his sister. Now he’d have two people nagging him to straighten up his things. He couldn't catch a break.

Pulling out some of the few leisure clothes he owned, Qrow gathered his things and headed for the shower. He was quick, reemerging with dripping hair only ten minutes later, but the room was still empty.

For a split second, Qrow was worried that he was in the wrong room. He discredited the thought almost immediately; all of his things were in here. It was almost eleven at night, he he had assumed that his partner was the ‘go to bed at 8:00’ kind of person. Obviously not, but that revelation still didn't tell him where his team was.

With an aggressive shrug of his shoulder, Qrow brushed the thought away. It wasn't like he cared. His team could do whatever they wanted. He sure was.

Qrow balled up his already wrinkled school uniform and tossed it in the general direction of his dirty clothes hamper. A growl from his stomach reminded him that he missed dinner and demanded he rectify that immediately. Throwing a longing look at his bed, Qrow exited the room in search of the floor kitchen. May there was something in there for him to scrounge up. He remembered Summer telling them something about cooking dinner. Maybe there would be leftovers and he wouldn't have to wait until a watery, mass-produced breakfast in the morning.

He slowed his pace when he heard voices growing louder, hovering in the doorway of the kitchen once he recognized who the voices belonged to. At least he knew why his room was empty.

The floor common area was actually quite spacious, and decently furnished. One half was taken up by a couple of couches surrounding a holoscreen, and the other had a full kitchen and an island counter with a few bar stools. He could just make out Raven over the back of one of the couches, sprawled across it and watching something on the holoscreen that looked like a cheap horror movie. Summer and Taiyang were in the kitchen, laughing. It took a minute for Qrow to realize that they were washing dishes. It was a task that had never been very fun to him, but they looked like they were having a good time. They were all in more comfortable clothing than Beacon’s school uniform, and the atmosphere in the room felt relaxed. Right up until Taiyang spotted him standing in the doorway.

“Hey Qrow,” he said loud enough for everyone in the room to hear, the traitor.

He swore that he heard a quiet laugh coming from his sister’s general direction, but his partner was pinning him with a hard glare that made him immediately defensive. “What?”

He knew it was the wrong thing to say as soon as Summer crossed her arms over her chest. The light gray hoodie she was wearing was well worn; whatever image that had been on the front had long since faded to illegibility. The hood of it was down for now, but he noted that even without her cloak, his partner always seemed prepared to hide. “You miss practice,” she informed him, “ _and_ dinner, and the only thing you have to say is ‘ _what_ ’?”

Her tone was clipped. Obviously she was upset with him, but he was tired and the words that came out of his mouth were anything but diplomatic. “It’s the first day of class.”

She didn't let up. “Which means that you shouldn’t be starting bad habits.”

Qrow felt her eyes on him unwaveringly as he made his way over to the island counter. “Do you have a response for everything?” he grumbled, plopping down on one of the bar stools.

“This is called a conversation, Qrow,” Summer told him in an impressively flat tone, “that’s how it works.”

Taiyang snickered at that, his back turned to the pair so that he missed the glare that Qrow directed at him. The blond was still on his shit list and only digging his hole deeper.

Summer had walked away while his attention was divided. She was now in front of the oven, pulling out a plate loaded with spaghetti. The smell that followed it almost made Qrow forget that she had been scolding him only seconds before.

“If you had been here earlier, you could have had some garlic bread,” Summer told him as she set down the plate on the bar counter in front of him. “Your sister and Tai ate it all.”

“It was really good,” Taiyang defended them. Raven ignored the comment.

Qrow took the fork she was holding out to him and hastily dug into the food, his mouth watering. The first few bites were shoveled into his mouth and swallowed so quickly that he had barely tasted anything. The fourth and fifth bite were taken in a little slower, and the flavors of the pasta had a little more time to hit his tongue. After the sixth or seventh, Qrow decided that this might just be his new favorite food.

“This is really good,” he said when he had to come up for air. He was rethinking his initial apathy about the garlic bread, if it tasted as good as the spaghetti did he definitely missed out.

Looking up, he hadn't even noticed that Taiyang left. He and Summer were the only two in the kitchen. Though she was turned away from him as she put the last of the washed dishes away, he caught the lifting of her cheek as she smiled. “It’s my grandmother’s recipe,” his partner said quietly. Gone was the fire from moments before, and back was the reserved girl who kept to herself and read books on airships. He wondered where it could have possibly gone.

The last dish put back in its place, Summer sighed and turned back to him. “I’m going to bed,” she announced to him, pulling down her sleeves. “It’s getting late. First class is at ten in the morning, _don’t be late._ ” She stared directly at him as she said those last words, her silver eyes bright. Qrow realized that maybe the fire didn't leave her after all.

“I won’t be late,” he said as he looked back down at his plate, unable to hold her gaze. He was surprised that he actually felt a little guilty for missing training and dinner, and a little peeved that she was able to _make him_ feel guilty at all.

“And please wear pants this time,” Summer added, unaware of the irritable thoughts going on in his head. “Unless you want skirts to be your thing. Then all I ask is that you get something a little bit longer.”

She was already gone by the time Qrow looked up to glare at her, but he swore that he could still hear her laughing at him. It took him a minute to realize that it was because Raven was still in the room and _she_ was the one laughing at him.

“Stop it,” he growled at his sister.

Raven actually sounded amused, which was not a small feat. “He got you good.”


End file.
